I Quote I Love You
by SimpleTea
Summary: AU. Naruto Uzumaki's fleeting, unrequited romance leaves him depressed and deprived. After talking over his conundrums with Kiba Inuzuka, a trusted companion, it's decided that the two attend a party the Hyuuga's are hosting. Uzumaki encounters Hyuuga, a woman harder to read than most, but beauty admired by all.
1. Uzumaki

**SYNOPSIS**—  
>Naruto Uzumaki's fleeting, unrequited romance leaves him depressed and deprived. After talking over his conundrums with Kiba Inuzuka, a trusted companion, it's decided that the two attend a party the Hyuga's are hosting.<p>

**DISCLAIMER**—  
>Though I do dearly wish, I do not own NARUTO.<p>

**CHAPTER NOTE**—  
><em>I Quote, "I Love You"<em> takes place in an alternate universe. It's early June—the birth of an adolescent, free-spirited summer—and the majority of the characters vary from the ages of sixteen to twenty.

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><p><strong><em>"<em>****_Fate is like a strange, unpopular restaurant filled with odd little waiters who bring you things you never asked for and don't always like._**"  
><em>—Lemony Snicket<em>

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><p><strong>I Quote, " I Love You"<strong>  
><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

"She's a bitch."

Lips pursed and chair inclined back approximately seven inches away from his desk, Kiba Inuzuka drawls and enunciates those three piercing syllables without remorse. His face shows no signs of discouragement, the words nothing less than sincere. It was a gut reaction obviously, and the gritting of his teeth left his guest hesitant to speak out his opinion. The original four legs of Kiba's chair now balance on two, his own limbs outstretched and crossed over the length of the torched-oak furniture.

Across from him is Naruto Uzumaki, a halcyon boy of eighteen, sitting legs pretzeled Indian style atop the center of his friend's bed. "You just don't see her like I do, man." The boy eventually argues, both palms firmly pressed against his chest as he dramatically lets out a more than a love-struck sigh. Glowing cerulean eyes and a wide Cheshire grin accent his sun-tanned face, his mind completely immersed in deluded thoughts about a certain bubblegum-haired cheerleader.

"She's..._aggressive_—excuse the hesitation—as well as insensitive, but even she can be cute once you get to know her. Not that I entirely do. It's just, I don't know," he shrugs, a lazy smile tugging at his lips, "I just look into her eyes and they're this rich green, almost like pine, and... Well, I guess you can say I was lost in the woods."

Another longing breath is exhaled as Kiba groans in disgust at the trite, amorous babbling. Naruto's mind was a library littered with fictitious novels, Sakura Haruno's name titling every cover and beginning every synopsis. For once, Kiba hoped he recommend his friend a book out of his comfort zone. It didn't have to be in mint condition nor award-winning. The pages may be torn, stained, even crinkled, but he wanted to bring him clarity. In an analytical and literal sense, books weren't meant to be judged by their covers. What Naruto deserved were not eyes that suffocated him beneath evergreen, but a soul like a tender book to curl up to on a Sunday afternoon.

"Naruto, hear me out when I say this is the nicest way I'm going to go about this. You have _horrible_ fucking taste in women. And again, nicest way possible. She's not good for you. Not to mention she's unattainable—Sasuke's girlfriend, remember?" Hooking four fingers to gesture quotations, Kiba continues, "The 'He's Your Best Friend...Well, Possibly Second To Me' Sasuke? Scratch that. The 'Guy Whose Taste Is Just Bad As Your's' Sasuke?"

"But—"

"Wait, I'm not done. She used you and your dork-cursed infatuation with her to get close to said best friend, blocked your number and any source of connection she had you via social networks, and, how should I say this, used her tongue to handshake your tongue in the most impolite way possible at Ino's New Years party just to have Sasuke take her back. I still for the life of me do not understand how that worked. Oh, and the cycle just repeats itself. I don't want to say this, but she doesn't care about you. I'm sorry, Naruto."

The blonde tufted teenager sighed wistfully.

Naruto absolutely hated it when Kiba made sense. His thighs sink further into his friend's mattress—misery caresses his cheeks like a forgotten lover. Any attempt disencumbering this life-sucking nuisance would have been futile. Depressed and deprived, he rakes a callused hand through his unruly locks and plops backwards onto Kiba's bed, the sheets flying up smelling like some sort of combination of sweat, cologne, and pre-ejaculation. Naruto now concludes the crumbling of paper beneath him was, in fact, an 'adult' magazine.

"Then, what do I do?"

Kiba sympathizes. "Hey, now."

The Aryan digs his cheek further into the pillow just when Kiba quietly sauntered over and allowed his slowly pressed weight to creak over the foot of his bed. "I feel like shit, Kiba." Naruto confesses. His azure irises, whisker-scarred face, and terribly chewed bottom lip all rouge a bruising red while a comforting hand rests over his shoulder, "I've told her so many times I liked her and I really did and still probably do and she just ignores me now. Honestly, I want to _not_ like her. I try so much, but then—like the idiot I am—I pray for her to talk to me when we pass by each other. Even a 'hello' would more than fucking suffice." He heaves a dishonest laugh to himself, his head shaking negatively and a hand tugging at blonde tufts, "I swear, my heart's so hysterically unreliable and I'm an absolute dumbass. And, I know. I'm making this sound so much more traumatic than it probably is, but it hurts. It hurts so _bad_." Naruto's voice cracks at the last syllable, his jaw clenching with anger, "I just want her to notice me, dammit!"

The laughs subside. Slow tears start to come from the corner of his eyes. They build up, they roll to the side, and the weight of the collective salt pulls them down. Naruto was so angry, so enraged, and he faulted no one else more than himself. His Adam's apple bobbed with his struggled breathing. His squeezing throat shook vigorously. He had no control over these tears and the hyperventilation made sure he wouldn't forget that. Gaped lips swallow the tasteless air and the steady accumulation hurried down his torrid, flushed skin.

"And I try not to think about her," Shaky palms clumsily rubbed his aching eyes, "I'm serious. I DO. But then I'll see her in the shape of the clouds or I'll catch someone wearing her perfume, and I'm sorry. This is so childish. I hate this. Why is it that humans are capable of falling for people that won't reciprocate?"

Kiba removes his hands from Naruto's shoulder and draws them back to his lap. "Because every painful, heart-tearing moment that will happen to you, to me, to anyone on this unfair asshole of a planet, is nothing more than experience." He reasons before taking a moment to nod his head to agree with his own theory, "You don't have to take my word for it, but time will eventually soothe the scars, swallow up this affair, and spit it out into oblivion. I'm not going to tell you some 'Oh, I understand' bullshit. I know I don't and I definitely won't say I do. What I _will_ tell you is that it's okay to feel the way you do, to be hurting the way you are. We're young. We love intensely. What you're feeling is not completely valid, but necessary. And that empty, shit feeling whirling around in that garbage disposal of a stomach you have there? It just means..."

The boy pauses and tries to find the right words. He notices Naruto staring intensely, eating up every little word to the point where his cheeks were these swollen, plump tomatoes and his face was this ugly kind of beautiful that made Kiba sympathize. Simply seeing someone he loved dearly so broken, tattooed with grief, and weighed down by vulnerability—God, it was agonizing. He gazes up once more, manages a sorrowful smile, and softens his tone, "It means you still have time to grow, Naruto. Hell, we all do. The space she left will attract so many other people who you wouldn't have met if it was full. Think of it this way: you've finally taken out the trash and recycled that Plastic Bitch. It's an opportunity. It's a new beginning. You are one person and two hands and one _big_ heart. You're human, an incredible one at that."

Kiba takes a deep breath and allows Naruto to take everything in. His sobs are noticeably louder, messier, and uglier, the constant sniffles now relieved by the tissue box quietly handed to him. He attempts to muster a million thanks, but all that comes out are breathy heaves and exaggerated nods. After an echoing, nasally blow into a Kleenex, Kiba continues, "And, most importantly, if she can't see just how pretty damn awesome you are, fuck her! Fuck every opinion that has brought you down, Naruto. Don't let anyone tell you're not a _fucking_ star. Just take a moment and acknowledge yourself; look at what all you're capable of. You're beyond exceptional."

Naruto laughs off the compliments out of modesty, quietly trailing off once he catches a glimpse of Kiba's concerned expression. "Man, I love you and everything, but you've_ got_ to realize that life is accepting the hot pile of steaming shit you're given. If someone doesn't treat you like you're worth the universe and every planet orbiting within, then let her go and make her your goddamn Pluto... If that makes sense. Fuck, you know I suck at these motivational speeches. That's always been your thing, but you get what I mean. I just—Nevermind, forget it. Plus, she's a stick and going after her would make you a dog and everyone knows Naruto Uzumaki is a stone cold fox, isn't that right? Look. I don't know anymore than you do, but I'm going to take my chances and say that, eventually, everything's going to be okay."

Finally, a small crooked grin manages its way up to Naruto's lips, swollen eyes crinkling in grand appreciation. A croaky chortle echoes in the comfortable silence. He was speechless and felt beyond fortunate. "Thanks, Kiba. I...I needed that."

Kiba sincerely smiles at this. "Hey, let's just forget about her. You know what? Neji Hyuga's throwing a party tonight and you need to get your mind off of things, hear me?" He forcefully proposes, having what's best for Naruto in mind. Reaching in his pant's pocket, he pulls out his phone and dials Neji's number.

"Hello? Neji? Yeah, it's Kiba. Change in plans: Naruto and I _are_ going to make it tonight. Yes, I'll pause so you can cry those beautiful tears of joy." He pauses. "...or sure. I can fuck off, too. Whatever's cool with you. Seven? We'll be there. Okay, see you then." Kiba silently holds a thumb up just before ending the call and shoving the phone back into his pocket. Naruto smiles tiredly back at him, both arms now crossed behind his head. By then, the tears had subsided and evanescent hiccups fled out of his mouth at Godspeed.

Naruto had learned that in this world, there were two types of sadness. There's the kind you desperately attempt to get rid of, so—by his definition—you surround yourself with Positive Encouragements like listening to happy music, unhealthily fending your body instant ramen, or simply finding someone to talk to. You remind yourself of the things that make you feel provident and grand, like the chilling tickle of walking barefoot on grass or flattering compliments from complete strangers. And there's the thought: _Ah, life honestly is not so bad after all._

On the other hand, there was the kind when you're clearly aware that you're sad and you submerge yourself in it without restraints. You feed it limb by aching limb. You isolate yourself and just drown in a pool of emotions and watch everyone else float above you. It's those heavy days where you don't want to wake up or move or get out of the shower. The world nothing more than hypercritical, belittling, and obnoxiously corrupted has worn you out and you're exhausted. You lie lifelessly in bed, read the same book repeatedly, listen to depressing music on shuffle that resembles your current depressing situation, and just basically feel empty.

And Naruto was aware that the two very diverse properties had a keen similarity: healing both took **time**—and he was terribly glad that he had not fallen into the pits of the latter.

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><p>An immeasurable amount of minutes had past since Naruto confined to Kiba. In that time, the testosterone count in the room depleted with every womanly wail Naruto had sobbed; Kiba was still in the process of shooting Naruto's used, snot-raped tissues into the trash bin and abusing the pump of his hand sanitizer without a second thought. Akamaru, Kiba's burly Mastiff, offered help by nudging the Kleenexes with his nose, fearlessly picking them up by the teeth, and tossing them effortlessly into the black basket. "Thanks, Big Guy." Kiba acknowledged once the white fur ball bundled up near the foot of his bed.<p>

Orange lights peeked through the blinds leaving shimmering rays of warmth on the carpet and mattress. Naruto, barely conscious, basks in the comfort of it. The palette of Kiba's room was now a festive autumn painted in browns and reds—this in addition to the 6 pm sensations left Naruto sluggish and drowsy. Of course, due to evening plans, Kiba was not going to allow any naps. Without warning, the boy jumps from off his bed and strips, his healthily caramelized body exposed and rather eye-catching. "C'mon, the party's in two hours. You can borrow my clothes."

"Man, those abs are legitimate—mind cluing me in on your workout routine?"

Kiba exhales a boyish chuckle through his throat, his head finally pulled out of his shirt before giving his burnt-russet hair a quick shake and tousle. As much as he loved it when people stroked his ego, the only clear and evident reason Naruto would do so was to get out of going to Neji's. Regardless, Kiba cups his tattooed cheek and flutters his lashes at the compliment.

"Oh, stop it, _you_!" Kiba giggles in a girlish awe, his voice easily ten octaves higher. He scrambles towards his closet to pull out an outfit for his cunning company. When he speaks this time around, his tone immediately shifts from bashfully flattered to a solemn humdrum, "You're not getting out of this one, pal. Put this on and quickly."

The impatient teenager ends his spiel with the snapping of his fingers, gesturing Naruto that he didn't have time to wait around. The blonde only seems to laugh vigorously as his companion, Kiba, continued to glare angrily at him. "And what if I don't?"

Kiba clenches his fist before slowly unclenching it, his pointer finger directed at Naruto once a brilliant idea emerged in his diabolical brain. "Fine, be that way." He huffs, a devilish smirk lined across his face, "I'll just have to undress you myself."

The wiggling of Kiba's grimy fingers and the toothy grin plastered on his face immediately stops Naruto's laughter as he stares seriously at his conniving friend, his arms crossed tightly against his chest as if he were a violated—at the very least _traumatized_—victim. "I can dress myself."

Kiba smiles with triumph. "Thought so."


	2. Hyuuga

**SYNOPSIS—  
><strong>Naruto Uzumaki and Kiba Inuzuka are now at the Hyuga's and Naruto is more than doubtful of what Kiba's scheming. After several drinks and mishaps, Uzumaki eventually encounters Hyuga, a woman harder to read than most, but beauty admired by all.

**DISCLAIMER—  
><strong>Though I do dearly wish, I do not own NARUTO.

**CHAPTER NOTE—  
><strong>Drinking is not cool, kids.

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><p><strong><em>"Humanity is good.<em>**

**_Some people are terrible and broken, but humanity is good._**

**_I believe that.„_**

_—Hank Green_

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><p><strong>I Quote, "I Love You"<strong>  
><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Naruto stood at the edge of the living room alone, his shoulders lazily scrunched up against an unoccupied wall. He stares blankly through the crowd. Every light in the house dimmed a translucent yellow like spotlights hitting center stage, expect the case here ranged from the finger foods that lie on the marble counter tops to the carpeted dance floor. Girls shimmy and boys ogled; nothing too out of the ordinary occurred. The spiral staircase situates beautifully across from him, which only gave him more reason to believe that the house was just too nice of a place to be trashed by a bunch of beer-guzzling, risqué teenagers. From the looks of it, Naruto too felt himself getting a bit tipsy, his feet pleasantly squeezing the overly soft, luxuriant Nylon fibers between his toes.

When Naruto imagined a party, he sought a Gatsby party. He'd see it in black and white: voluptuous women in cocktail dresses and finely dressed gentlemen swing dancing to the booming sounds of a live orchestra—roaring saxophones, enthusiastic trumpets, captivating violins—underneath the stars, champagne shot into the air as the cool liquor trickled down the bodies of the drunken guests. It was a shame, Naruto thought, for a party (or, at the very least, Fitzgerald's adaptation of one) as such to die off when it did and what society now has resorted to: an increased rate of abandoned abstinence, insistent peer pressure, making other people's opinions of you a higher priority than your own, and, well...this.

Women signaled flirtatious winks in his direction more than obviously trying to gain his attention. In response, he just smiled sheepishly back and stayed station much like a seed firmly planted in its pot. Others simply observed him silently from a distance. Naruto was jaw-dropping to say the least, yet friendly enough to approach. People of all social cliques had heard a thing or two about him because he was friends with_ the_ Sasuke Uchiha. Mysterious, fierce, and dominant Sasuke Uchiha. Naruto's God-blessed features didn't make others feel inferior and he genuinely made sure of it. With sapphire eyes leveled perfectly above his cheekbones, both lined thrice, they were absolutely charming, putting a new definition to the term: **foxy.**

_'What a lovely chandelier,'_ Naruto mused in admiration as he stared straight up at the ceiling,_ 'Oh, and the carpet feels so good; I could just touch it all day. It's such a beautiful color, too. Like the fur on a Golden Retriever. Actually, I should consider getting a pet—maybe then the apartment won't seem so quiet. Aren't pets expensive though? Shh, don't interrupt me rational thoughts. Anyway, I'll just a get a Tamagotchi then. Shit, what was I even talking about? Oh, wait! I like this song. As long as I got my suit and tie, Imma leave it all on the floor tonight and you something something—ugh, all this internal singing is leaving me ridiculously parched...'_

He looks absent-mindedly into his Red Solo cup.

_'Aw, man. I'm out of Heineken,'_ Naruto realizes after tipping the cup upside down, shaking it for even a single droplet or two._ 'No beer for me now.'_ He pouts at this. After contemplating whether or not to get a second cup or make conversation with Sir Wall III again, he tosses the cup into a nearby trash can and settles for a bottle this round. When Naruto duly makes his way to one of the coolers, he bumps right into his designated driver.

"Kiba!" Naruto hiccups cutely, "I! No, you! You are just so amazing; I love you! I don't think I tell you that enough. I mean, it's perfectly fine for two super manly men to share some brotherly love, right? Yeah, of course it's totally fine! Who needs validation? Psh, totally not us. I could just shout it to the world." Naruto struggles to cup his hands around his mouth, "HEY, EVERYONE! I, NARUTO FREAKING UZUMAKI, LOVE KIBA INUZUKA! HE'S MY BROTHA' FROM ANOTHER MOTHA'! HEAR THAT? MOST IMPORTANTLY, HE IS THE MAN!"

After taking a much needed breath, he graces Kiba a silly grin and slowly removes his hands, "Ah, that felt good. Didn't that feel good? Hell yes, that felt great! Golly gosh. You were so right. I've been so miserable. Wasting all this time contemplating, over-analyzing, deliberating—and what good have I gained?" Hiccup. "All I've gained is a decade's worth of wrinkles, that's what! And probably ten pounds in Doritos." Hiccup. Hiccup. "I'm sure that balanced out with the water weight I've shed from all that crying. Like, I'm so fed up with the sexist idea that crying decreases the value of a man's strength and worth. You know how many painful smiles I've forced? Well, neither do I. I'm shit at math. You know what I do know though? You know what we do when we're born? We cry. We scream! So, I don't what to be given crap or told I'm weak for loving someone." Hic–cup. "Now, I'm alive. I'm breathing. Naruto Uzumaki is back! And you know what Naruto wants? Naruto wants Al-Co-Hol. Please!"

Kiba stares blankly at Naruto, utterly dumbfounded. "You, my friend, are the worst possible drunk on this stinkin' planet. No more beer for you, hear me?"

A pouting Naruto appears once more, bypassing girls squealing with every sneaked glimpse at those adorable, pink-puffed lips. This leads to a face-palming Kiba. _'How could I forget how much of a lightweight he was? Fuck, he's about to piss in the fruit punch bowl—shitshitshit!'_ The frantic teen whips his head around, quickly reeling in his drunkard of a best friend. "NEJI!" Kiba shouts into the crowd. In time, the long-haired fellow squeezed his way towards him, the same silly grin plastered on his face just as Naruto had—well, _has._ His rosy cheeks burned crimson in contrast to his pale-complected skin, his even whiter eyes half-open and unmistakably hazy. 'You've got to be kidding me.'

"Whas' the matter, Kiba_-dear_?" Neji slurred, full and super clear enunciation on the last, humiliating syllable.

"Disgusting. And I'm taking him upstairs," Kiba pulls up Naruto's rather heavy and dangling arm up, indicating who he was talking about before finishing his sentence, "okay?"

"I didn't know you sh'wing that way! You, frisky little dog, you!" Neji barks, his pale balled hands now rubbing against his wine-tinted cheeks, "Woof, woof! I can sh'ee you being into doggy style. Yeah, you'd definitely be a to—!"

Kiba immediately clamps his palm over Neji's mouth, impatience and irritation swirling in his eyes, "Naruto—my male, platonic best friend here—is drunk off his ass and I need him to sober up a bit before I play Wingman."

"Then, you guys are going to play Doctor, ri–ght?"

Pulling up his middle finger, Kiba unsubtly gave Neji the Bird all while dragging Naruto lazily up the stairs. The blond drunkard would mumble a few words here and there like _"ramen!"_ or _"fuck 'da po–lice"_, which Kiba, as pissed as he was, did manage get a slight kick out of. Unfortunately, the constant swirling of the staircase was making Naruto queasy, and the one sober guy at the party could already start to hear his companion regurgitating.

"J-Just hold it in a bit longer, Naruto!" Kiba stammered in panic before throwing his lifeless friend's body into the first room he saw. The surroundings were unexpectedly feminine. Lilac, vintage wallpaper plastered all four sides of the space. An elegant, white, queen-sized bed situates along the mid of a wall just below an expensive looking arched window. A linear sequence of alternating dream-catchers and origami cranes hang from the ceiling and walls, floral paintings and oil pastels scattered everywhere. Nail polish, hair accessories, facial products are all over the room well-organized and in their desired locations. "Neji never mentioned a girl living in his house, did he?"

Kiba quickly shakes the voiced thought away and looks for anything that could hold Naruto's spew like a plastic bag or trash can or a plastic bag inside a trash can. In the midst of his search, he notices two doors half-opened. One led to a closet, Kiba presumed, and the other had a toilet. Bingo!

"Hey, Naruto! Wake up. Get yourself together! There's a bathroom right there," His words come out dragged and slow, hoping that the red-cheeked boy would actually take the information in. He gives the barely conscious lad a few light slaps on the cheeks, points out the room, and continues to speak, "I'll be downstairs and up in 10 minutes—" Kiba then holds up all ten of his fingers, "—to check up on you. Then, I'll introduce you to some nice girls, m'kay?"

Naruto furrows his brows, pushing Kiba away lightly in annoyance, "I don't want to talk to other girls. I want Sakura!"

"For Christ's sake," Kiba sighs, massaging his temples distressfully. "I'll be back in ten; fix yourself up."

With that, Kiba leaves Naruto to himself, slouched against the foot of a bed and drunk out off his mind. The boy finally takes note of his surroundings and grabs one of the stuffed animals from off the bed, hugging it tightly against his chest. _"So soft."_ Naruto mumbles to himself. The goofy smile on his face never seemed to waver as he gently placed the bear off to the side and sprawled his body over the floor only to unsuccessfully make carpet angels.

Moments like this made Naruto irrevocably in love with living. To just not care and move about with a clear conscience; it was absolute bliss for him. He presumed it would be bliss for anyone! _'I took being a child for granted,'_ He mentally pouted, swinging his arms up and down in semicircles. He spent so much of his childhood pulling pranks, using his own bizarre methods to be acknowledged by adults and other children his age. _'Now I'm just an even bigger kid with more stupid responsibilities and I have to start worrying about my slowing metabolism and acne and fucking girls. Man, girls are stupid. Shit, I'm not supposed to be caring about stuff right now. Come on, Naruto. Namaste!'_

The harsh opening of a door tears Naruto away from his trance as he comes face to face with who he convinced himself to be a navy-haired goddess. Her curled tresses sit ably against her hips. The black, floral-patterned dress she wore is just a bit longer than that, precisely mid-thigh length. The sleeveless outfit reveals her slender, porcelain arms; they're so pure that Naruto felt unshakable fear of staining her, hurting her. The pearls of her necklace laid perfectly above her succulent breasts, and with consideration of Naruto's age and maturity level in mind, he couldn't pull his eyes away from them.

Sakura Haruno was indeed a physically attractive woman, but there was always one thing she did lack: curves. Of course, this was one thing that this Enchanace was definitely not lacking in.

His eyes trailed up passed her prominent collarbone, delicate neck, rose-petal lips, that irresistible button-nose, and paused at her luminescent eyes. Again, that pure, unattainable white. God, they were entrancing. To be so scared of tarnishing something absolutely, unconditionally beautiful; this was a first for Naruto Uzumaki. Still, he never once tore his gaze away.

Her orbs resembled Neji's, but there was a different essence to them.

Neji's were strong, determined, and so full of willpower. He held the future in his eyes and he never backed down from his word. _'But these,'_ Naruto mused,_ 'They're so sad, so haunting.'_ He analyzes further, _'No pupils; it's a blank canvas. They could be tainted at any moment. On the other hand, it can become something so much more. Not that she isn't already something else.'_

Naruto riveted at the combination of effortless length and volume that was her lashes, the way the end of her eyes extended down just a tad bit, emphasizing that distinct look of vulnerability. He adored the way her ears poked out behind lovely strands of blue, the way she made the loveliest of flowers look like withered weeds; the way she could make the richest man alive penniless with her worth; and he studied the make-up brushed lightly over her lids and was well-aware she was gorgeous without it. _'Just who was she?'_ He couldn't help, but wonder.

Did she go to his school?

Did she even know his name?

And why the hell didn't he know hers?

Naruto had always been so fixated on Sakura, he never really did pay mind to the other women around him. How could he be oblivious? Maybe she was just some sort of celestial being or a figment of his imagination he whipped up after all these years of pent-up sexual frustration!

But all those thoughts vanished and frankly lost value when his so-called, 'hallucination' bent down and planted an ever so soft kiss on his stunned and unprepared lips.


	3. Sobering Kiss

**SYNOPSIS—**  
>Upon their surprise encounter, Naruto is more shocked by Hinata's carnivorous kiss. What will come from this?<p>

**DISCLAIMER—**  
>Though I do dearly wish, I do not own NARUTO.<p>

**CHAPTER NOTE—**  
>K-I-S-S-I-N-G!<p>

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><p><em><strong>" Sanity and happiness are an impossible combination „<strong>_  
><em>—Mark Twain<em>

* * *

><p><strong>I Quote, "I Love You"<strong>  
><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

Her knees bruised blue; this was the result of irrationally skidding across the carpet of her room and bending downward, just enough to kiss Naruto Uzumaki. His drunken body laid flat on the chill surface of the bedroom floor, his whole being still growing accustom to the extra, unfamiliar weight atop him_**—**_not that he was refusing or complaining to begin with. Her small palms frame Naruto's face, his cheeks torrid and smooth. They felt and heard each other struggle to inhale in-between kisses (hers more clumsy than his), all this just for the sheer simplicity of spontaneous pleasure; it would be a shame to break away so fast. It was exhilarating and miraculous and the two couldn't help, but marvel at the heat of their lips and the heat of the moment.

Why was he in her room in the first place?

With that thought surprisingly being one of the last whirling around within that noggin of hers, Hinata brushes her lips further against his. She had never been so cautious of her breath nor the scent of it in her entire life. _'And would it make sense to say that his lips were both rough and so soft at the same time?'_ Oh, those provocative monsters in her very core urged her to do so much more. She sighs blissfully. The inexplicable, physical experience of two mouths smacking tightly together felt microscopically awkward at first and she kept pondering as to how she could even make this feel 'good' for him.

The bitter aftertaste of beer, or what Hinata assumed was beer, was there. She found herself subconsciously tilting her head every so now and then in hopes of finding a pleasant position to hold in place. This was nothing close to how she imagined kissing someone would feel like. Perhaps, maybe she was doing it wrong this entire time. Sure, she used to practice with his hands and make little arm hickeys, but this was far beyond sensations she could replicate alone. More importantly, she also couldn't help but wonder why she took initiative in the first place.

Perhaps it was the looks Mr. Uzumaki kept giving her, the ones that made her feel unbelievably feminine and realize she was in the skin that she was in. The ones that made her flutter her eyelashes a bit more than usual and tilt her head in a certain way that made her feel moderately attractive. And before Hinata knew it, she was smearing her unavoidably red lipstick all over Naruto's mouth and pleading that this was maybe what he wanted as well (the physical contact she meant, sans the teeth clacking).

It was then that Hinata slowly started to feel Naruto reciprocate, his tongue lapping gently along her bottom lip. She knew she shouldn't have assumed that this was his first kiss as well. Still, the way he made her already preoccupied mouth quiver was illogical. He turned her clumsy, little peck into a phenomenal make-out session. And how his hand sneaked by and made its way to the small of her back, his thumb lightly brushing against her goose bump-coated skin... Is this what they called 'hooking up'? Her of _all_ people actually successfully managed to do this? Even without her knowledge, her dainty, shaking fingers clung onto Naruto's tan biceps for dear life. She had then became uncomfortably aware of just how pale she was.

And when Hinata finally pulled away from the unbearable lack of oxygen, Naruto immediately pulled her tightly into his chest, using her as a replacement for the teddy bear—_her_ teddy bear—he had tossed aside minutes ago._ "So sooft."_ He groans.

The rasp, grated texture of Naruto's tepid breath resting on her nape allows Hinata to recall exactly what she had done and possibly every other peculiar whim she has spontaneously pulled. What scared her the most was that she didn't feel entirely guilty. Her eyes lower and fixate themselves on the thigh she straddled the past several seconds and counting, his other leg bent against her right side to gate her in place.'_What came over yourself?'_ she mentally disciplines, her fanned-out hand resting against the side of her head

"I'm so sorry," Hinata mumbles almost inaudibly, the weight of Guilt pressing against her back as she prepared for it to squish her like a pancake. It didn't necessarily help that she was taking in his indescribable guy smell.

"What for?" Naruto wondered, personally seeing as there was nothing to apologize for. He then notices what she was doing and couldn't help but smile down at her—he had already beaten her to it considering that he had thoroughly enjoyed the vague fragrance of vanilla and fresh, trickling sweat she emitted. "I should be thanking you. I am pretty much sober now, I believe. I know this might sound ridiculously cheesy to you," Naruto chuckles a little to himself before finishing his sentence, "but I think your kiss broke the spell_. . .oh!_ You haven't graced me with your name yet."

Flattery brushes pink over her entire face, reaching ear to ear from the very tips of them. "I don't introduce myself unless the person provides me their name first," Hinata quips, masking her inexperience with whatever game Naruto was playing at. Not that he essentially was. Hinata eventually comes to realize how cold her mouth felt when her lips catch a smidgen of his breath, exhaled by swollen, anticipating lips. It also dwells on her that there would be no need for him to introduce himself. She was already more than fully aware of who he was.

Naruto Uzumaki.

Age: 18

Tall, lean, and oblivious to his perfection. He had a strange infatuation with the color orange and an unhealthy one for ramen noodles (presumably because he had a tight budget and tolerable appetite). His other quirks include his need to talk louder than everyone else just to prove a point and is always hysterically laughing to his full extent, his laugh lines beautiful and radiant when the case may be. She assumes that holding his hand would be absolutely phenomenal and wouldn't doubt that she'll be marking those experiences as well as this one on her calendar. On most occasions, Hinata either found herself fixated on his toothy grin or deep blue eyes, her entirety drowning within them certainly 99.9% of the time.

Like, now.

"Naruto Uzumaki at your service," he announces with a sort of sophistication. He grins down at Hinata with that boyish appearance that would've made her bruised knees feel weak, if she hadn't forgotten she even had knees to begin with. Their foreheads are now pressed against one another, the hairs of their eyebrows ever so slightly interlacing together. She could tell that he wanted another kiss and was sure her lips resembled his moist ones in more ways than one.

"Hinata Hyuga, a pleasure to make your acquaintance," she plays along, her small hands fisting the back of his shirt. Her heavy eyes scan his face: kind. Naruto, despite his commonly known to be rebellious spirit, was a kind soul. He was gentle and honest and courageous; hell, he was an adult-sized child! Hinata knew he had no intentions of hurting her and would never do anything she wouldn't oblige of doing. Still, Naruto was a man, and men can only endure so much.

_"How lovely..."_ Naruto compliments, his brief compiment ending with the locking of lips. Hinata couldn't exactly verify the sensations Naruto had introduced her to, but if their lips had names, his was surely Fire and hers Gasoline. She saw how Naruto's head thrashed backward against the mattress, his hand cupping the back of her head to pull her into him hard. His lips were so inviting and the pleasure was more than generous. She heard the sloppy noises of their mouths mushed together, Hinata's amateur follow-ups steadily keeping up with his more skillful tongue movements.

Naruto didn't care. Her virgin lips overwhelmed him with this evangelical zeal that could only be felt by leading someone, encouraging said person to pursuit what you instructed him/her to do. And feeling Hinata try so hard to catch up, it was quite frankly charming. The way her cute, full lips attempted to mold his, Naruto couldn't help but allow her to try and overpower him only to tease her back, slipping a clawing finger inside her shirt as shivers roll down her slender spine over and over again in shockingly pleasant dismay. He felt her small form shudder in his arms like a wet, vulnerable kitten clawing at his front door.

"B-Bre—" Hinata murmured, her hands pawing at his chest.

Naruto hummed at her soft whimper, not catching what she intended to say. Still, the sound of her mustering something in between their lips, her voice a higher octave and shallow. . . it amped his understanding of what it meant to be a male.

_"Ineedtobreathe!"_ Hinata frantically pants. Her head bobs up and buries lazily in the crook of Naruto's neck. She trembles softly from the aftermath, her arms now securely wrapped around his waist. Pictures from her anatomy book were racing through her head at sonic speed: mouth, neck, abdomen, hips. . .

Slowly removing her face from the nested spot, Hinata confronts Naruto with a blank expression not long before an explosion of pink erupts all over her face. The companion beside her couldn't help but chuckle, finding everything too cute. But why though? Before this, he never gave women consideration or his time of day. Sure, he was passed the whole 'Girls Are Icky' phase, but he wasn't determined to fling with every spontaneous blonde, big-breasted bimbo that twirled her hair in her fingers and insistently popped her gum (which is basically Japan's average misconception of an American female). As a matter of fact, make that any other girl other than, well...

"There's no use trying to wrap my brain around it." Naruto thinks aloud, a smile tugging at his lips. He squeezes Hinata a bit, his shirt wrinkling against the tight material of the floral patterned dress.

Wait, this wasn't his shirt.

"Fuck, Kiba!" The whiskered-face fellow finally realizes, ignorant to the fact that him immediately standing up caused a surprised Hinata to roll lifelessly about five inches to the left from their previous location. "I totally forgot about him!"

Hinata takes her time to sit up and confirm who Naruto was talking about as well as calm him down in the process, "Kiba Inuzuka?"

"Yeah, he's my ride home. Well, I was actually going to crash at his place over break, but that's beside the point," The blonde outstretched his arms and gently takes the girl's hand in his, a sheepish grin highlighting his boy-like features, "help me?"

With that sweet, sweet expression on his face, there was absolutely no way Hinata could reject his offer. Hinata giggles wholeheartedly and graciously accepts the hand, stands up, and exits the room along with Naruto. To their misfortune, the first floor had increased in population tenfold. Humidity sucked at each person like a leech and the sweat that dripped down the young bodies seemed abnormally heavy. It smelled of booze and ecstasy in the Hyuga Mansion. Naruto just laid his chin close to the top of Hinata's head, trying his absolute best to disregard the pungent odor and sink into the heavenly stomach-churning, heart-thumping vanilla and lilac combination known as Hinata Hyuga.

As they swim and squirm through the crowd, the blonde teen couldn't help, but be dangerously curious about the woman in front of him, even if they were to be considered irrelevant. What kind of shampoo did she use to get this wonderful smell? How does she maintain the beautiful color and length of her tresses? And her body. . .

"N-Naruto! My man!" A husky voice calls out from the ocean of people. The two turn their heads to the right and see a boy about their age, his shirt unbuttoned and disheveled, and a Cheshire smile enlightening his handsome face. "Get your ass over here!"

Naruto instantly covers his face in shame.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" Hinata worries helplessly, her hand gently tugging at Naruto's.

"That's Kiba."

Hinata looks back at the boy. Indeed it was. Sweat, like many of the other participants of the party, trickled from his temples, down to the red triangle tattoos that marked each cheek, and continued down his perfectly chiseled jaw line. As they approached the gentleman, his caramel orbs—currently piercing directly at Hinata—made her abdomen do little flips and flops like a giggling school girl's would.

"Who's that?" Kiba growls hungrily, his tongue licking at his dry lips, itching to figure out what flavor the little bunny would be.

Naruto grimaces at his friend's reaction. "She's_ taken_." He answers abruptly.

_'I am?'_ Hinata mouths towards Naruto, an army of pink little ninjas attacking her lovely face.

"Mind sh...shar—!"

Before Inuzuka could manage to finish the suggestive proposal, the poor intoxicated lad had fallen limp on Naruto's arms. A color of words were mustered under the blonde boy's breath in response, his eyes slowly making their way to his beauty of a comrade. "What am I going to do, Hinata?"

Hinata's knees locked together, her eyes practically bulging out her head just as her heart was about to jump out of her chest. How could he make his voice sound like the angels themselves were singing to the Heavens? Slight exaggeration, yes, but the girl was utterly astonished at how harmonic it sounded whistled through his perfect and not to mention delectable lips.

"U-Um, I, well..."

_'Why am I stuttering?!'_ Hinata's inner thoughts wailed, her conscience utterly ashamed of the state she was in. With all the stamina and confidence the Nervous McNerva-kins could muster, she looked straight up at Naruto and suggested something even _she_ didn't expect on saying:

"Why don't I take you two to my house?"


	4. Home

**SYNOPSIS**_**—**_  
>After many complications and Hinata's sudden suggestion, it's agreed that the three stay at her house until sunrise. Memories return and tears are shed, but with Naruto's company, Hinata is able to make it through the night.<p>

**DISCLAIMER**_**—**_  
>Though I do dearly wish, I do <em>not<em> own NARUTO nor Ed Sheeran and his beautifully crafted lyrics.

**CHAPTER NOTE**_**—**_  
>I honestly have no idea where I'm going with this.<p>

* * *

><p><strong><em>"You are the earth that I will stand upon<em>**  
><strong><em>You are the words that I will sing „<em>**

—Ed Sheeran

* * *

><p><strong>I Quote, "I Love You"<strong>  
><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

After throwing in the last box of Hinata's belongings into the trunk of Kiba's car, Naruto gives the ivory-eyed female a look of concern. "Are you sure about this? I can't help, but feel like we're intruding," he worries, his eyebrows drawn in, referring to himself and his unconscious friend in the backseat.

Hinata glances up at the man and gives him a small nod of approval, "Yes, I'm sure. Pinky promise. To be entirely honest, I wouldn't want you to drive home since you had a couple of drinks yourself. I'll say something to Neji later. I was planning on packing up tonight and moving myself out anyway, so you were of a lot of help, Naruto."

Naruto couldn't help, but smile wholeheartedly at Hinata's sincerity. Walking up to his savior, his hand shyly scratches the back of his neck, the other opening the driver's side car door for her, "Well, I'm just returning the favor." The boy teases, his hand now removed from the handle and index finger pointing at his thin lips.

A blush creeps up on Hinata's face at the reminder as she musters an inaudible thank you and frantically hops into the car. She presses her face against the steering wheel, her forehead vigorously rubbing back and forth against the leather; this was her painful, futile attempt at ridding the Embarrassment Monster who somehow always successfully haunts her every time Naruto taunts or teases the poor thing. Naruto could only laugh—his voice deep and thrilling—when he strolled back to the passenger side, slid into the car, buckled his seat belt, and turned back to make sure Kiba was buckled in as well. The boy had a goofy, drunken grin plastered on his face, Naruto noted, and would be sure to remind his friend of that with the click, snap, and flash of a camera and a blackmail-worthy picture saved in his phone's gallery.

"Wow, that's _huge_." Hinata gawks as she started the car.

"Oh, honey. You haven't even seen it yet and you're marveling at my size."

Hinata pinkens. "Your phone, Naruto. I meant your phone."

"This ol' thing?" Shaking his phone, Naruto flashes a charming smile and slides it back into his—well, _Kiba's_—jacket pocket. "I guess that would make sense, too."

Hinata tries not to giggle at the sarcastic retort, her eyes glued to the road. Regardless, she liked hearing Naruto talk. It was genuinely lovely in her opinion. It was a voice that had the kind of gentleness that tucked you in bed and stroked your cheek before kissing your forehead goodnight. It's composed of an essence that sings a person a lullaby of sweet serendipity. Her heart harped a beautiful melody and strummed at every little syllable Naruto would enunciate and the whole blood-pumping machine would just sizzle, foam, and flop like a steroid-consuming fish on dry land when those three syllables made out her name.

The June night dragged on, the crescent moon smiling down at the two behind white puffs that splatted the midnight blue sky. Silence eventually spoke louder than the both of them and all that was really audible was the sound of the tires spinning and Kiba's soft snores. At an awkward attempt at breaking the ice, Hinata fumbled through the CD's in Kiba's middle compartment and popped in Ed Sheeran's before softly melting beneath the chords of his acoustic guitar and his heavenly vocals.

Unfamiliar with the soundtrack and seeing that Hinata genuinely enjoyed it, Naruto furrows his brows and concentrates on the lyrics, comprehending them the best he possibly could in hopes that he wouldn't look like a complete goof front of his lady friend:

**_This is the start of something beautiful_**  
><strong><em>This is the start of something new<em>**  
><strong><em>You are the one who'd make me lose it all<em>**  
><strong><em>You are the start of something new<em>**

Naruto eyed her, his gaze ever so gentle and heart thundering from a simple glance. The palms of his hands were all sweaty and sticky and he kept feeling the need to wipe them on his pant legs over and over again. He felt incompetent under the presence of the girl, her body radiating this angelic purity. All of the unfamiliar sensations enveloped him like a blanket, this seemingly indescribable feeling. Slowing removing his gaze and returning his eyes to his rather moist palms, he clasps them and holds a small, almost non-visible grin. As if it was a secret to him and him alone.  
><em>'This is the start of something beautiful.'<em>

* * *

><p>Ten minutes have passed and Naruto Uzumaki was now fast and sound asleep. With her hands still firmly grasping the steering wheel, Hinata's index finger taps to the sound of the music and Naruto's shallow breathing. She had been infatuated with him for so long, it was mind-boggling for him to be in the passenger seat of the car she was driving, his head slightly tilted and built arms crossed over his chest. When she decided to spoil herself and steal a quick glance, she almost immediately regretted it, fully realizing Greed—that devilish <em>fiend<em>—would urge her to pull over and stare at him to her heart's content. Like autumn turned leaves and snow sheets winter's dead grass, it felt like that magic and beauty of a seasonal change just to be beside her high school crush.

"Hey, would you look at that? This is my neighborhood!" Naruto, now awake, chirps, drawing Hinata out of her little trance and making her realize that she needed to pull into a driveway two houses to their left. "See that apartment complex right around the corner? I'm room 301! Oh, maybe I won't have to be a burden to you; I can just have Kiba crash at my place." He rummages through his pocket before hanging his head in dejection, "Oh, wait. These aren't my pants."

His female companion giggles at his adorable little conundrum, "Naruto, I said it's _fine. _You two can just stay here for the night and I encourage breakfast if you'd like. It's summer vacation, right?" Soon, Hinata had pulled into her house and pulled out her own keys from her pocket to open the garage, the pallid door creaking up slowly to the click of the button. Once in and situated, Hinata had turned off the ignition and pulled out Kiba's keys, trusting them over to Naruto.

"Welcome to my home." Hinata said professionally, as if filming for an episode of MTV Cribs.

Naruto laughs at this and clicks the seat belt off. Hinata was already exiting the car and flipping on a switch, jokingly hollering, "Let there be light!" before fumbling to open her door and close the garage's at the same time. Naruto exited the vehicle as well, unbuckling Kiba out of the car and gently draping his heavy arm over his shoulder. "Can you get the light on your way in?" Hinata requested as she entered her home, the first room she encountered being a hallway that led to the dining room.  
>It was just as she remembered it.<p>

A bathroom rests precisely to the left of her and if she kept walking, the dining room table and the chandelier hanging above it would be staring right back at her. To the left held the kitchen and located five steps forward was the beautiful living room table with all its furniture and carpeted glory. The cherry-oak stairs sit rather close to the dining room, the second floor holding around five rooms: her's, her parent's, a bathroom, a guest bedroom, and her mother's office.

"Are you okay, Hinata?" a voice calls out from behind her.

She had not realized that she was already sitting in one of the corner ash-black love seats in her living room. Kiba was already laid down and sleeping soundly on the matching couch just to the right of her. Naruto stood hovering over her, a box in his hand and a comforting smile directed in her direction. "Where do you want me to put these?"

"Oh, my God! I'm so sorry. I should have helped; you really didn't have to carry all the boxes in here!" Hinata panics, making sure her voice was quiet enough not to wake Kiba. Naruto just waved it off and grinned, informing her that a simple thank you would have been more than enough and that he had closed and locked the door just as she asked.

"Not bad," Naruto whistles at the house, throwing his head up and around to admire its size. Laughing, Hinata clues him in on the fact that this was originally the house her parents had bought and her uncle had been kindly maintaining it for her. As much as he wanted to hear more about her parents and where they happen to be now and why she had been staying with Neji until graduation, Naruto decided it was best not to pry. Some people weren't as open as him and he learned to accept that.

Keeping that in mind, Naruto continues to listen to what information he did receive and studies the house in envy._'I guess you can't expect anything less out of a Hyuga home.'_

The champagne walls contrasted beautifully with the dark furniture of the room, the television plastered to the wall directly in front of the sleeping Kiba for entertainment purposes. All three couches—the couch Kiba occupied, the love seat by Hinata, and Naruto sitting on the last remaining one—aligned along the corner of the room with a long, glass table standing right in the center of the room. Below the television rests a fireplace.

"Thank you for telling me." Naruto says out of the blue.

"Why are you thanking me? You really have no reason to." Hinata quietly laughs in confusion. She watches as Naruto props one of his legs up on the couch and hugs it against his chest, his chin resting atop his knee. It came to her realization that it had been so long since someone, aside from family, to give her their full and undivided attention and look genuinely interested. Her voice trails off as she faces the reality and embarrassment of having the boy of your dreams actually in your house and listen to you ramble on and on about personal matters.

Naruto shakes his head and holds a faint, exhausted grin, "Plenty reason to." More than anyone, Naruto knew firsthand how difficult it can be to talk about family. The biggest homes aren't always necessarily the warmest. He knew that. Hinata subtle expressions and lowered gaze signaled that. It was clear to him that there was nothing he could really do in regards to things that had happened in Hinata's past other than showing her gratitude for facing them with him just as she was doing now.

Stretching, Hinata decides not to question him further and stands up from her corner chair, grabbing one of her boxes with Naruto following her actions. "Well, I'll be taking these upstairs. I can show you the guest room if you'd like to sleep there."

Naruto nods. Having double of what Hinata had in her hands, he paces behind her, his strides powerful and fast. By the time Hinata had opened and entered her own room, she dropped the boxes and gawked. It was almost identical to her room back at her uncle's. She ran to her closet: it was filled with brand new outfits. She sprinted to her desk: make-up and sketch books stacked to the brim. On top of her dresser laid two boxes, both topped with closed envelopes. The first one read:

_Dad and I had a feeling you were going to escape the wretched tower at midnight, princess._  
><em>Just. . . don't go all independent on me, okay? I'll be here for you. Always.<em>  
><em>Don't be too quick on finding your prince and make sure to visit, you hear!<em>  
><em>Ha-ha, I already miss you, Hinata.<em>  
><em>. . .I love you. Be safe, sis.<em>  
><em>—Neji<em>

Hinata noticed the little, microscopic droplets on the letter and held it close to her chest. _'It's not like I'm moving to the other side of the world, silly.' _She muses, fighting back her own tears. In the box, she found a stuffed animal resembling a ball-shaped bunny. Its eyes were puny black dots, the obese fella' nothing bigger than a circle Hinata's hands could make. The other object in there was a small can of pepper spray, a note attached to it saying in capital letters: **YOU'LL NEED THIS**.

She had practically died from laughter by then.

Her eyes now darted to the other pink box. The letter atop this one read:

_Hinata, darling. _  
><em>I know things have been hard these past several years, but just know that I never regretted taking you in.<em>  
><em>You are such a sweet child, my dear. That must have been my doing.<em>  
><em>I have and will continue to treasure you like my own daughter no matter how old you get and no one will ever be as lucky as me on that matter. <em>  
><em>I love you so much. Don't forget about your old man Hizashi, okay?<em>  
><em>And most importantly, never forget your value. <em>  
><em>I know I won't.<em>

Sniffles and quiet sobs escaped the touched girl. "Uncle Hizashi..." Hinata whimpered, tears now falling helplessly down her face. Inside this box held a photo album, all containing pictures of Hinata from the times where her mother cradled her infant body in the hospital to the nine-year-old Hinata under the sun in her baby blue summer dress eating an ice cream cone and to this day, a photo that had been taken with her uncle Hizashi and Neji in front of the Hyuga Mansion that morning.

"Aren't you darling in that picture?" Naruto whispers from behind her, pointing at the photograph of her losing her first tooth, her bloody smile still radiant as she held the floss-tied specimen high up in the air (it was still apparently connected to the doorknob of her bedroom door). He grins a toothy grin as Hinata tells him to hush, his sleeve-covered hands now making their way up to her cheeks as he gently wiped the tears away. With a quick peck on the forehead, Naruto gives Hinata a big bear-hug as a way of comforting her, forgetting that with his strength and her stature, she was more than suffocating in his embrace.

After feeling the light taps on his back, the blue-eyed body builder finally released the frail woman, embarrassed chortles exhaling through his crescent-shaped mouth. "Sorry," he musters, a hint of red tinting his California tan skin.

Hinata, charmed, almost immediately accepts the apology, "It's fine. I know you were just trying to make me feel better." Her orbs dance back and forth from the floor to Naruto's smitten face. Once repeating this about fourteen more times, Hinata finally decides to add onto her sentiment, "Why don't I show you the guest room now?"

A smile answers her question. "I'd love that."

* * *

><p>Hinata, after chatting it up with Naruto for hours and hours on end, had suggested that the two finally go to bed. Naruto awed in the process and clung to her arm like a child. "No, mommy! Don't leave me!"<p>

Laughing, Hinata tried to shake off the hand as well as shake off the unneeded memory. Apparently, the discomfort was clear to Naruto. "Oh, if you're really that tired, I'll let you go." he says honestly, feeling guilty for keeping her up this long. _'You idiot! Why'd you have to go and have her make an expression like that?'_ A short 'ugh' is mustered under his breath before he pulls a hand out of the covers and reaches for his phone on the bedside table to his left, clicking on the button to the side and reading the digital 3:25 am that flashed luminescently in front of him.

"No, it's fine," Hinata yawns, her eyes half-lidded and sleepy, "What do you want to do?"

There were a number of things Naruto could name off, especially since it was three in the morning and his moral conscience was slipping into a deep slumber. He gulps, again realizing just how good Hinata looked in her tight, little black dress and how jaw-dropping it would be to have those shapely legs splayed and spread in front of him. Gulp number two is swallowed down as he resists the urge to get aroused, his hands back underneath the sheets and clenching for dear life. _'What would you say if I said I wanted to feel the heat of my own breath bounce back onto my lips after strategically placing them on the neglected parts of your skin?' _His corrupted mind aches for an answer, but refrains asking,_'or if I told you I simply want to press my ear firmly against your chest and see if my existence has any effect on your heartbeat like yours does mine?'_

"How about 20 _questions_?" Naruto quickly croaks, a pubescent crack in his voice loud and clear for his own embarrassed ears to hear.

Too tired to tease, Hinata nods and starts off with her first question, "Let me think. Um, are you gonna to start living alone, too?"

Naruto laughs a little, figuring Hinata would ask an innocent question like that. Despite knowing this, Naruto decides to take it several steps further. "I have for a while now. It's a blessing and a curse." Now, his eyes hold a devilish twinkle, "So, my turn. How old were you when you had your first boyfriend?"

Hinata blushes. "Never had one."

"Really?!" Naruto screams out in astonishment and more in disbelief, "No fucking way! You're shitting me. I honestly cannot believe that." He quickly covers his mouth, realizing how unpleasant it was of him to curse so blatantly in front of a girl like Hinata and praying that his voice hadn't stirred up his friend downstairs. Still, it truly was unbelievable for Naruto and strangely, it made him a tad happy. Well, maybe more than just a tad. "Okay, then let me ask you this. How old were you when you had your first kiss?"

Hinata was a bit scrambled, even flattered, by Naruto's reaction, but maintains an unfazed facade. "It's my turn to ask, Naruto."

"Oh, yeah. My bad. Go ahead, ha-ha."

Feeling more awake, Hinata shifts a bit in the bed to get more comfortable and smiles devilishly before holding a finger under his chin, scratching at it gently, "How old were_you_ when you had your first kiss?"

"Oh, this is _so_ not fair!" Naruto pouts angrily, despite his rather loud laughter that echoed through the room.  
>The minx smirks, loving that she had the upper hand, "That's how the game works, Na-ru-to!" She enunciates, allowing his name to dance on her tongue.<p>

"Ugh, I want new rules." The childish teen huffs. One stares intently while the other evades the hot gaze, silence overwhelming both of the children—one more than the other. After getting angrily glared at for not getting an answer, Naruto yells out a 'fine!' and starts to explain his story. "I was twelve when I had my first kiss with..."

"With?"

"...ke."

"Who?"

"...uke."

"Uke?"

"SASUKE! I HAD MY FIRST KISS WITH SASUKE, OKAY!?"

After revealing one of his most traumatizing memories, Naruto slams his face into his pillow, which was his fail attempt to mute Hinata who was laughing hysterically in front of him. She had moved from sitting at the foot of the bed to rolling all the way to the right side of Naruto, her small feet kicking about as she crossed her arms over her tightening stomach. Out of anger, Naruto tried to attack her, but Hinata had quickly slipped under the blankets along with him and tucked herself in; it seemed as if her laughter wasn't going to subside anytime soon.

Naruto, seeing that her defenses were futile, tugged at the blanket and finally caught a hold of her, his hands wrapped around her waist and her body now sitting on top of him. Hair covered her beautiful face and Naruto found it a shame. He brushed away her hair and took a good look at her face. Her nose twitched adorably at his touch, her lips chapped from the laughing fit, and her breaths panted were loud and heavy. "Now answer me, _Hinata_." He groans deeply, breathing harder for no apparent reason and finding it very necessary to say her name the way he did. "Who did you have your first kiss with and how old were you when you did?"

"Eighteen." Hinata stutters sheepishly, her eyes no longer able to focus on Naruto.

Naruto makes her. Frankly, he wanted to skip all this talk and just hold her in his arms in the most innocent sense. Okay, the last part of the previous sentence may ring false. Still, he wanted to embrace her until he was nothing, but dust and bones and fallen teeth and nothing like this cheeky boy that simply yearned affection from a beautiful girl. And upon realizing this, he knows now that impatience would have gotten him nowhere. So, removing a hand away from her waist, he cups her cheek and focuses her eyes on his, "Then, how old are you now?"

She shakes her head. "You didn't ask that."

"Fine, who was it?"

"...You."

Naruto blinks, his grip on her waist loosening and his callused fingers drawing circles on her back. It was music to his ears. That one dangerously pleasing syllable ignited a flame that burned somewhere Naruto was afraid would never extinguish. Perhaps it was a boy named 'Yuu' and he was being painfully conceited. Or, perhaps not (He prayed desperately for the latter). He smirks to himself. '_Just a little more,' _he reminds himself_,_ '_gain her affection just like this_.' His eyes dance back to Hinata, "Really?"

Hinata shivers, "Why. . .are you staring at me like that?"

"Why are_you_ staring at me like that?"

"Are we still playing 20 Questions?"

"Why do you look so good right now? Why do you always look _so_ good?"

"Naruto, what's poking my leg. . ."

"Do you really want to know?"  
>"I-Is that?"<p>

"What does it feel like, Hinata?"

"D-Don't say my name like that, Naruto. Why do you keep doing this to me?"

"Don't say your name like what, **Hinata**? What am I doing?"

"Y-You keep making me feel so vulnerable and f-feminine and, I don't know, I—"

"Hinata?"

"Y-Yes?"

"20 Questions are up."

And with that, Naruto crashes his lips hard against Hinata's. Gasps and mewls squeeze out of Hinata's throat in shock; this was absolute music to Naruto's ears. 4 am left her with a pleasant surprise, rest suddenly sounding not all that important anymore._'I'm never going to get any sleep.'_ She muses before pushing her body and lips further against his, unaware of the love stuck grin that tugged her mouth at this thought (as well as Naruto's, of course), and leaving them absolutely _no_ room for questions.


	5. The Morning After

**SYNOPSIS—  
><strong>It's the morning after and our two protagonists are both equally unsure of how to address this 'situation'.

**DISCLAIMER—  
><strong>Though I do dearly wish, I do not own NARUTO.

**CHAPTER NOTE—  
><strong>I didn't expect to write this much for a chapter! Fair warning: this one is a little more explicit that the previous passages, so read with caution, my dears. Oh, and there are multiple Kiba scenes so...don'thurtme.

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><p><em><strong>"I will adore you wholly with my soul and I will love you wholly with my might and when it is the universe you want,<br>I will inhale and fill my lungs with the sky and breathe atop your lips all the stars your eyes have carried wonder for„**_

—Christopher Poindexter

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><p><strong>I Quote, "I Love You"<br>****Chapter 6**

Hinata had woken up to a loud scream that came from, where she presumed, the living room couch. She was lying on her side, hip bone crushed against the memory foam mattress, and pressed firmly against something long—_longer than herself even_—something she couldn't exactly make out.

It had occurred to Hinata that it was morning and her brain persistently believed it was time for the madam to prepare for another school day. She was still soaked in the half-abandoned remnants of sleep, her dreary eyes attempting to fixate themselves on what was in plain sight; this was none other than a broad and unexpectedly cozy male's chest, one she couldn't stop herself from nuzzling into even if she had the willpower to.

Then, it dawned on her.

_"Naruto!"_ Hinata shrieks in horror before palming a shaking hand over her mouth (this made it impossible for her to take in the fetching fragrance she gobbled up like dulcet gumdrops, which irked, but she retaliates keeping the situation in mind). She examines her surroundings: (1) she had a face full of Naruto Uzumaki's fortunately—or maybe not so fortunately—clothed torso. The distressed female feverishly pats herself down before sighing in relief; (2) she was fully dressed as well. Still, it didn't explain why (3) the two of them were wrapped up in a crease-filled sea of sheets, heads resting over the same feather-stuffed pillow of (judging by the design of the location) her guest bedroom, and pressed closely together with the frays of her blue bangs tickling Naruto's prominent chin.

She notes that the outfit hugging his impeccable, comely physique was the same attire he had worn to the party he attended last night, the party _both_ of them attended—her Nii-san's party.

Almost immediately, Hinata was beginning to regain her memories, a notorious crimson now blotting her cheeks. After releasing a calming exhale, it had faded to a soft pink. She again emits a long, deep audible breath through her dazed smile; it being directed tenderly to the figure beside her. It would be a shame to disrupt the state Naruto was in. His plaid shirt, the hue like the forget-me-nots of the purest blue sky, was slightly crinkled from the racing dreams that caused him to toss and turn the night before. And because his sleeves were rolled up, his tan, lithe tendons were in range for Hinata to marvel at, a bulging, turquoise vein trailing down the back of the arm till it was hidden behind fabric.

The girl couldn't help but simply lavish herself the blessing of deviously stretching her own bare arm out and lining it right next to his, the almost nonexistent brush making Naruto shiver in his sleep. The difference in their skin tone, his much darker flesh against her pallid white... It was exhilarating. Watching was enough to make the blood-pumping organ race at an illogical rate. She was lost in the velocity. She was already configuring formulas to calculate the average acceleration of her increasing heartbeat until she realized: _why?_

There was no need for theories or laws or Sir Isaac Newton's to explain why she was charmed by Naruto. She just was; she was completely crazy for him. It was the kind of crazy that made her cry for no particular reason and feel like it was so, _so_ incredible to be alive when his longing eyes, his loving smile, his contagious laugh, when all those things fixated on her and her alone.

And it was crazy, because she didn't even know when his existence became so grand to her—Naruto had always been the popular boy who made her stutter under her cluttered mind without actually initiating a full conversation, just the scenarios she's dreamt up in tiny classrooms or right before she had gone to bed. To see his becoming face under the early sunrise and all the colors that don't usually belong; the shock of electricity and the unfamiliar strokes of his short, tickling nails and the slow reach of his tired foot in the empty spaces between. It was the shared heat of this unspoken moment—the grace of skin on skin, the audible, irregular drumming of his heart now a mellifluous imbrication to her drums, the Hyuuga's frantic attempt to bathe solely in him because this implicit felicity may too be evanescent and her cynosure could vanish at the awakening of an eye—that made the smallest of touches move her in the biggest way.

It was quite similar to a January snowstorm Hinata had witnessed long before: the gusting, sideways flurries of Indianapolis. You see the microscopic flakes falling, but you don't pay mind to just how much had added up. Then suddenly, your whole lawn's covered with a blanket of white. And so, all these millions of tiny things have been piling up until this sheet of zealous emotions had wrapped itself warmly around the Hyuuga, leaving her enthralled and enchanted by her Aryan love.

_"When did I start to like you so much?"_ She whimpered with a trembling voice, her chest clenching too tight for comfort. Her wet eyes shifted from their contrasting arms to the sapphire pendant of Naruto's necklace. It laid over the second button of his half-opened shirt, rising and falling with his shallow breaths. Up, down, up, down. . .

As much as Hinata wanted to continue to fancy her sleeping Prince, the harsh pit-patting from a floor below caught her attention. She had completely forgotten about Kiba and especially to explain everything to him which_ should_ have been her priority for the morning. Pushing herself off the bed, quiet enough to leave Naruto be, but still be capable of propping herself fully up, Hinata looks up at the wall clock above the bed. Both the long and short hand pointed at the Roman numeral six.

Half past six?  
>In the morning?<br>Kiba was surprisingly an early riser.

Hinata listens in closer. It sounded as if he was heading towards the kitchen. The slam of the refrigerator door and the menacing growl that barked, "What the hell is with all this healthy shit!" answered her hypothesis. She giggled. Kiba Inuzuka reminded her of Naruto oddly, but then again, anything would remind her of Naruto if she truly wished it to. '_I should probably help him,'_ the kind child mused before dragging herself out of bed. Just as she was about to leave it, there was a grab at her wrist.

"N-Naruto?" Hinata asked quietly, scared out of her mind by the possibility of him being awake and just how long he would and could have been.

The gentleman doesn't answer the query, his eyes still squeezed tightly together. His bubblegum tongue licks at his dry, chapped lips before letting out a thinned down groan. Hinata, in regards to the sounds he made, felt a bit on the edge—'_this is what a guy sounds like in the morning'_ she pondered.

And then she was watching the blanket, and what was tented underneath it.

Hinata gulped. It wasn't disgusting to her; no, she was well aware that these sort of things are very healthy and natural occurrences. It just didn't prevent that fact that she was flustered out of her mind. Fainting was a possibility. Gawking and sweating out of embarrassment; Hinata was already passed that. If only he'd just let her go.

But he didn't.

Suddenly, Naruto tugs on the wrist in his hold, pulling Hinata a few inches closer back into the bed—back to him. She was bashful to say the least. "N-Naruto, _please_..." Hinata pleaded, trying with all her strength to escape the embrace. Still, she wanted to punch herself for enjoying this as much as she did.

She was being swallowed by something. Maybe it was herself. Hinata was elated, intensely euphoric, and nothing could pull her down from the high she was experiencing. With Naruto's leg so tightly wrapped around her, his heavy arm draped over her waist and fingernails tickling her spine, Hinata brood, this one single question rotating in her head: What extraordinary thing had she done to deserve _this_?

But she couldn't possibly think anymore. Her small nose, so dug into the crook of his neck, mouth on his pronounced collarbone—his scent was her drug. An incurable addiction. It was so bloody dangerous and she was practically gasping for it like a fish on land. It had her panting and, albeit being unconscious, Naruto certainly _felt_ it.

With his hard, immeasurably stiff specimen that had been strained so painfully under his jeans now pressed against her supple bare thigh, her possibility became a reality. (4) Hinata Hyuuga had fainted and gone high to the Heavens after coming into contact with Naruto Uzumaki's rather impressive and _ironic_ wake up call.

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><p>Naruto fluttered an eye open, his vision still heavy and head throbbing from the night before. His memories had been a little fuzzy; that was, until they decided to slap the hell out of him once he saw who he thought he saw lying soundly and sexily beside him.<p>

It was cancerous, the provocative illness that spread from the core of his abdomen to his hardened lower region. The sweet breath she exhaled was all in itself an aphrodisiac. And with her black, flattering dress hiked up exposing her full and perfectly rounded cheeks, Naruto felt the need to fall forward as fast as he could—without bracing himself, _no_, not at all—against the dashboard of the bed in hopes of bleeding to death, possibly breaking his nose and mouth for the sheer fact that he couldn't stop himself from looking at Hinata with the risqué and horribly indecent gaze he held.

But, on the other hand, another part of his mind found her cute. She was so, _so_ cute. Under the light rays peeking out of the blinds that let out a different soft of feeling—a different sort of _essence_—in comparison to the waning moon's glow, Hinata looked absolutely precious. Around her, Naruto always felt the need to carry a thesaurus around with him because he felt that he was foolish: day two and he's already at a lost of words to describe her with. Or, just maybe, he was always at a lost of words with her. Hinata Hyuuga, alone, was a mystery. She had him fawning over her like a lost puppy, and it was so different compared to Sakura. Hell, he felt idiotic comparing the two; there was no need. Hinata, with him, had made Naruto genuinely, sincerely happy. It was an authentic feeling. And the way she looked back at him with the same, longing gaze—_oh._

Naruto groaned, his teeth clenched on his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood. Hinata had kicked the blanket a little more off of her, revealing that lissome body Naruto wolfishly ached for. A throb at his groin had him grasping a fistful of his shirt and caused a vulnerable furrow of the eyebrows as he stared feverishly at the voluptuous temptress, her lips gape, mewing and panting ephemeral whimpers in her sleep. And to add on to the misfortune, the bedroom door had slammed open, revealing a very irritated and—after seeing the sight he saw—envious Kiba, his middle finger held furiously high before his pointer directed accusingly at Naruto, _"You ass!"_

Kiba's growl erupted though Naruto's eardrums. The headache was getting worse. The pained boy holds a finger up to his lips, gesturing his companion to hush under the presence of his sleeping female friend. After silence was granted, Naruto slowly removes his index finger from his lips and places a hand atop Hinata's head, positioned to where the of bottom of his palm rested on her midnight blue fringe to the very tips of his nails over the mid of her scalp. He began rubbing it in the gentlest manner, solicitous and now aware that the sweating and moaning was due to a bad dream. _"It's okay..."_ Naruto had cooed with the softest voice, completely disregarding his pal gagging in the process.

Kiba, eyes squinted and lips pouty, crosses his arms over his chest, his body now leaning against the frame of the door, and growls again—this one differing a smidge from the last—voicing an angered and annoyed, "_Fine_, but you're still an ass."

Grinning, Naruto was then ready to quietly push himself off the bed and shuffle out of the room passed Kiba, his hand waving behind him, silently signaling the brown-tufted boy to follow. The wild Inuzuka wanted to interject, that Naruto could tell by the hushed grumbling under the dog's breath, but was happily pleased when he heard the gentle padding of feet from behind him. Once the two made it downstairs and seated themselves in the living room, Kiba gave Naruto no time to breathe and immediately tomahawked the poor guy with questions, apparently finding it a necessity to use vulgar slang terms after every other word:

"What the hell happened last night?"

"Where the fuck are we, man?"

"Why was it that I found you with Hinata Hyuuga in bed. **TOGETHER**."

(curious tone) "Did you two fuck?"

(curious tone 2x) "Was she good?"

"And where the hell is my Maria? Please tell me Maria's fine! _Oh, Merc!"_

Naruto huffed under his breath, finding his best friend's constant change in tone unbelievable. He could already see that the bottom of Kiba's hands were heavily sweating and he so nerve-wracked; actually. . .it was pretty comedic for Naruto. His mouth had opened to say something but instantly closed when he felt a chortle ready to flee. Naruto knew for a fact it would have escaped rather noisily, so he restrains without realizing he had already snorted. Once relaxed, laughter out and all, he had finally decided to speak:

"You were wasted, so Hinata generously offered to take us to her house for the night. So, for the couch, the blanket, the pillow, and the care—thank her when she gets up."

"We're at Hinata's house. So, again, you've gotta' thank her."

"We were talking for a while and we just, um, fell asleep without even realizing it. " This sentiment had ended with nervous laughter.

"Christ, dude, _no_!"

This had been left unanswered.

"Maria's absolutely fine. Hinata drove her here because she didn't want me to after I had a bit to drink (not as much as you, but that was expected). That reminds me, I have a picture of you on my phone and you look so bad!" The boy paused for a moment to let out a breathy chuckle. "Oh, right. Maria. She's in the garage and I have the keys if you want them. Anyway, I've got a really bad headache, so no more questions, okay?"

Kiba nods understandingly after taking short mental notes of everything Naruto had said and even sighed blissfully at the thought of his Mercedes—his Black Beauty—unharmed. He also couldn't ignore the fact that Naruto kept mentioning Hinata Hyuuga with every possible chance he had, but decided to elaborate on that later. Though, something else had caught his attention, something that was _standing_ at attention.

"Hm, I see. Well, I'll thank her. I'm just glad my baby's fine. And—okay, I know this is going to sound really homo of me, but your big ol' raging erection is staring me in the fucking face and it's starting to piss me off so, I don't know, do something about it or have Hinata do something about it; j-just calm your dick down." Kiba says all in one breath, his face a tad blue and expression scrunched and disgusted.

Naruto smiles a bit at Kiba's words, his voice soft and awfully flattered, "You think I'm big?" He genuinely asks after selectively hearing his bud's little spiel.

Kiba ughed at Naruto's arrogant and narcissistic attitude before pressing his companion's raised shoulders and looking up at the stairs, "Shut the hell up. No, I don't. Oh, but why don't you ask Hinata? She's coming down here. Ask her to go _down_ on you."

Without hesitating for a second, Naruto stared stupidly up at the stairs with anticipation. It was, without a doubt, Hinata Hyuuga. She had changed out of her dress and into a sleeveless pastel-yellow shirt. It was a button-up, the five little digits that ran up her torso an eggshell white, and accented nicely with a lace collar and hand-painted, cotton ball-topped dandelion sprouting from the left corner hem. He scribbles down in his memory to ask Hinata if she had done that herself and if she did, compliment her and ramble on about how impressive it is and how he'd like to see what else she has done.

_'Stop making up stupid scenarios in your head, Naruto,'_ He immediately tells himself after he realized what he had done. Then, he started to gawk at the matching shorts and the lengthy legs that were in them. He started at her knees, the pigment a little pink, and told himself how he'd love to shower them with butterfly kisses and trail up from there. Or, maybe, he'd go down to her delicate looking ankles and tickle at her cute little toes just to hear her angelic laugh and see the smile that would make his heart win the grand prize at any NASCAR race it enrolled itself in. His ocean blue orbs travelled up in the midst and stopped at her cherry-plump lips and the black hair-tie that dangled from them.

Hinata's elegant hands were combing through her damp tendrils and pulling it all to the top of her head in a ponytail, the ends still long enough to reach mid-back. She then secured it with the band and pats the cheeks of her fresh face, complexion still top-notch. When she had reached the fourth step from the top of the stairs, Naruto was quickly reminded of his problem area.

"Quick, dude! Hand me a pillow!" The baffled teen had yelped in a distressed whisper, forgetting that there was an army of fluffed squares already surrounding him. Kiba ignores this and hands Naruto what he had asked for which, without fail, was immediately pressed against his hardened member. A panicky 'thanks' was muttered shortly after.

And if on cue, Hinata had entered the stage, legs stiff and entire face a burning red.

"Good morning, N-Naruto! Morning, Kiba! It sure is bright out, isn't it? Ha-ha! U-Um, are the two of you hungry? My cooking isn't extraordinary, but I'll be sure to make whatever you'd like. Ge'ez, it's hot in here; do you guys feel hot? I wonder what the furnace is on. And what time is it? Let me check—8:50AM? That's way too early for a Saturday, don't you think? Oh, that reminds me! I have to be at Sweet Serendipity by 11! Have you two been to Sweet Serendipity yet? It's a cute little shop that I work at part-time; they serve a variety of frozen yogurt that you can dispense manually into a bowl and top with as many toppings as you'd like! O-Oh, it sounds like I'm advertising now, doesn't it? Well, anyway—"

"Hinata, doll. It's okay to breathe."

To Kiba's words, Hinata takes a big gasp of air. Unfortunately, the gasp was so big that the poor thing started to choke vigorously and wheeze like an old fart, muttering something about there being a frog in her throat and that she had never talked that much in her life before immediately shutting up again once realizing that she was starting to ramble again. The room then became completely silent for a moment before the little naïve act finally caused Naruto to chuckle lightly and Kiba to hyena laugh hysterically at Hinata's innocent embarrassment. The two found it so funny that Naruto's chuckle evolved to a full out series of snorts and Kiba had fallen like the Titanic rolling.

"S-Sorry, Hinata," Naruto struggled in between laughs, "but you had to admit that it was a bit funny. Though, I shouldn't have laughed as hard as I did." He stops for a moment to bow apologetically and give Hinata a sincere look of concern, "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, you were pretty cute all blushy like that," Kiba joked before pushing Naruto out of the way to give Hinata his infamous toothy grin, "Anything I could do for you, _bae_?"

"Kiba, stop flirting with Hinata."

"Hey, Naruto, why don't I take that fucking pillow off your lap?"

A grumble is heard from the blonde beast before he grabbed one of the cushions off the couch and threw it directly at Kiba's face, "Here, have this one."

Just when the two were extremely close to getting into a tussle and ripping off each other's heads, the female company had cleared her throat and clapped her hands together. "Why don't I make something to eat and you two can freshen up? There's a bathroom right across the hall and one up the stairs as well."

To this information, Naruto had immediately accepted the offer and ran up the stairs without stopping for a second, not even knowing where the bathroom would be located or if there were any towels available for him to use. This left Hinata questioning and Kiba grinning to himself, knowing fully every little thought that had run through Naruto's one-track mind.

"So," Kiba drawls, his hands laced behind his neck and legs marching to the kitchen unit, "what are you going to make? You know, for breakfast?"

Hinata, ready to answer his questions, stops herself immediately after seeing what Kiba had had on or more specifically, _didn't_ have. Since she it wasn't possible for her to see anything below the neck when she was at the doorway of the living room and he was beneath the blanket on the couch, she had never given it into any consideration beforehand. Of course, that wasn't the case now.

The flustered girl stood on the wooden floorboard of the dining room, which was what essentially connected the kitchen and living room together. She first traces to Kiba. He too had worn a button-up plaid shirt, his red. Unlike Naruto, he had left his fully open, revealing his chiseled abdomen and a trail of insufficient ash-brown hairs that led. . .well. He had his belt unbuckled; the button and zipper of his fitting black jeans were open. The band of his teasing, white pair of Calvin Klein's were visible. Hinata felt rude for staring, yes, but did feel a sense of relief knowing things could have been much, much worse.

She then traces to the couch. The blankets were all bundled and messy and the shape of Kiba's head was still imprinted into the pillow. "I'll fix that!" Kiba had called out from the kitchen, sensing that Hinata may have been a bit peeved for his slobbish nature. Hinata shook her head, refusing that he'd do it right that instant, and joined the kitchen along with him.

The kitchen was an isolated station of its own despite not having a door separating it from the dining room; that was all it was connected to, really. It contained what all normal kitchens would have, and then some. The two-doored fridge that Kiba barked at was located in the corner of the square farthest from the entrance, the marble sink sitting in the mid of that wall, and the stove on the wall perpendicularly left of the faucet. Verdigris countertops—along with an iHome, bowls of fruit, flower vases, a coffee maker, and other cooking essentials that laid atop them—rested between the spaces.

Kiba ran his fingers along the wavy, opaque aquamarine and sandy brown backsplash behind the sink before Hinata finally answered him. "I-I'll make anything, really. Pancakes, bacon, eggs—how would you like those by the way—toast, hash browns, sausages. There's a variety of juices in the fridge if you haven't checked and I can even make a breakfast smoothie? Sorry, I'm not used to having people in my home, so I'm new to the whole hospitality thing."

A humored laugh echoes through the room. "Then, I'll have eggs, sausage links, and toast, please. I like my eggs sunny-side up so that when they're placed on the plate, the yolk looks like yellow goggly-eyes and, if it's not too much, a sausage smile would be nice." Kiba chuckles to himself at his own remark, more than likely taking a mental picture, "Oh, and Naruto absolutely adores blueberry pancakes, especially when they're cut into heart shapes. I'm sure it'll make his day (I know for a fact it would make mine). That aside, thank you for everything, Hinata. You didn't have to do all of this, but you are still willing and kind enough to. This really is so awesome of you. I hope we can do this again, expect sober."

It was tickling for Hinata to receive all these flattering comments and laughs so early in the morning. She had grown so accustomed to seeing Hizashi sitting quietly across the table with a cup of tea and his face behind a newspaper along with Neji who always situated ably beside her with a coffee-filled mug, discussing school or re-aired episodes of shows they enjoyed watching together. Now, here she was, a foreign feeling whirling in her tummy, finding it rather thrilling to have guests in her own house that she could cook for in her own kitchen and serve in her _own_ dining room. Aside from that, Hinata was seriously contemplating on Naruto's breakfast suggestion, not fully understanding that Kiba had spat it out in a jokingly manner. '_Would he really like that?'_ Hinata nail-bitingly worried. It wouldn't be a hard task; no, not at all.

Just a very, very embarrassing one.

"Oh, there's no need for the thanks, Kiba-kun. I'm more than glad to have you both accompanying me this morning. I'll start on the food, so you're free to shower if you'd like. Here, I'll show you to the bathroom." Hinata waves Kiba in and continues to talk, "It's so different having a house all to myself now. It screams, 'Hey! You're an adult now! Be responsible...and stuff.' Do you live alone, per chance?"

Kiba follows behind her as they shuffle passed the stairs and into the long hall. "Yeah, I heard that you lived with Neji," he lied, just basing this information from what he remembered seeing yesterday, "but you'll be fine. You've got a good head on your shoulders. And no, I'm still with the family, just until I'm 18. Though, I have thought about rooming with Naruto. Is it possible that you like Naruto, Hinata-darling?"

Hinata was completely fine up until Kiba's uttered and deadly curious last query. He had said it so casually that Hinata was starting to believe she misheard him. Did she? She was too afraid to even ask so. Her body temperature skyrocketed. It was the feeling of forgetting to do your homework and the teacher was sauntering around the classroom, row by single row, to each individual student to check for completion. It was the feeling of wanting to sink into your seat the moment you knew you were next and your professor was gazing at you with these eyes full of high, hopeful expectations because she was on a streak and very unaware you were going to break it.

What kind of expectations did Kiba have for her?

_'Is there even a right answer?'_ Hinata mentally questioned with no self-awareness of the amused expression Kiba held behind his teasing smirk.

One second felt like a thousand years under his anticipation. The satyric brown that bore into Hinata's antique-white made her feel like a slug encircled by a ring of life-threatening salt. A gulp is swallowed though her tightening throat—echoing in the bucolic-set bathroom they had recently entered—before she tears her eyes away from the tile and faces Kiba with a firm stare, "Even if that was the case, Naruto-kun will be the first person I tell."

Her confident and rest-assuring confrontation ends with handing Kiba a towel out of a cabinet and excusing herself with a bow as she locked the door behind her, leaving the taunting teenager shocked and even more herself. But, nonetheless, her honest words made her realize the instant she uttered them from her lips: no one other than Naruto Uzumaki will receive her first confession, absent-free of blustering stammers and incorrigible awkwardness that was expected from these sort of adolescent occasions. She will embrace the infinite possibilities of responses and many moments to come. And, in that moment, walking down the naturally lighted hall and into the Caribbean-style kitchen, another realization chimed like the towering Big Ben.

She, a girl full of hesitations and notorious self-deprecation, had finally assured herself of something, devoted herself to a magnificent goal. And, to her, that was _so_ incredible. Mind-boggling even. It was so simple and to come to think of it every bit of sound eventually resonated through her ears oh so vividly, such as the cracking of an eggshell against the side of a bowl or the sizzling of meat in contrast to the bubbling oil in a frying pan—exhilarating, is it not?

Of course, it wasn't.

Not to the average human being.

But. . .Hinata was certainly okay with that.

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><p><strong>FAQ<strong>

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><p><strong>Why are there only, like, three characters in the story?<br>**There will be plenty more, that I can promise you. (:

**What was Naruto's 'problem'?  
><strong>. . . *waddles away*

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><p><em>Wow, it's been forever, hasn't it? I ended up typing this out on my phone so there are probably tons of errors and problems with formatting, but I reallyreallyreally hope all of you still enjoyed it. I just want to take a moment to thank all my supporters and all the motivational comments that keep me going. I really am so thankful for each and every one of you. I love you all and please continue to stick around. ;u;<em>


	6. Blueberry Pancakes

**SYNOPSIS****_—  
><em>**Naruto Uzumaki's fleeting, unrequited romance leaves him depressed and deprived. After talking over his conundrums with Kiba Inuzuka, a trusted companion, it's decided that the two attend a party the Hyuuga's are hosting. Uzumaki encounters Hyuuga, a woman harder to read than most, but beauty admired by all.

**DISCLAIMER****_—  
><em>**Though I do dearly wish, I do _not_ own NARUTO.

**CHAPTER NOTE****_—  
><em>**Short chapter is short. (Weekend update: Chapters will be uploaded Saturday's and Sunday's!)

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><p><em><strong>"I swear to you, there are divine things more beautiful than words can tell„<strong>_

—Walt Whitman

* * *

><p><strong>I Quote, "I Love You"<br>Chapter 7**

With his pruned hands extended and pressed so desperately against the tile of the shower wall, Naruto takes a rigid exhale and hangs his head directly beneath the running faucet.

Yellow splayed over his whiskered face and exposed his narrow neck (as much as the rest of his body), there tiny moles and microscopic freckles plotted brown. He was eventually free of agitation after pumping himself miserably in the now shame-filled compartment. The feeling of his erected cock wrapped around his raisin-tipped nubs, the pulling of wrinkled foreskin and the colors crushed inside his palms—salmon, orchid, bruising blue—the echoing of his own restrained groan within the glass enclosure. . .

He tried not to think about it.

Naruto again and again tried not to remind himself of the humiliating deed he had just committed in Hinata's house not to mention the same shower she had recently used (this, which caused _more_ embarrassment, had just occurred to him). And, when he finally thought he did, a whiff of her would always manage to remind him yet again with the twitch of his 'masculinity'. This was partially because of the still soaped loofa soaked on the rack above him, emitting that wonderful vanilla fragrance he was so curious about just, well, last night. With the bottles of shampoos and scrubs and other care products lying around, Naruto found himself fantasizing about the Hyuuga using those particular items, perhaps not how they were necessarily used. This was a poorly executed idea.

It finally reached the forty-six minute mark when the ashamed child gripped at the silver knobs and stopped the rushing water; this was half an hour longer than his average wash.

With that in mind, the extended time duration did _not_ remove the dirty, revolting feelings that engrossed the boy to the very tips of his fingers. How did something with the purpose of cleansing oneself make him feel so bloody disgusting? Well, he could name multiple reasons, but refrained. He looked down at his hands, clenching and unclenching them, before he felt too sick to even acknowledge himself. Even further below his palms was a glob of cloudy substances that hurriedly whirled into the drain—at least, Naruto extremely hoped it would. And now, he was sad and limp and so utterly pitiful in that vulnerable, nude state that he was in and felt the need to tear himself away from his physical body and never return.

That was the difference between sex and masterbation. When you're done making love, you just want to collapse next to your partner and cuddle together under the sheets, satisfied eyes then making love to each others' souls. There's the single kiss that ends the session and the pulse of life under lips. It didn't particularly matter if you did fuck; you may have simply sleep together, in the most innocent sense of the phase, because _this_ was the moment to long for. Like the days are as beautiful and essential as the spaces between the stars and the resplendent science of electricity on prickled arm hair upon gazing at his kalon (A/N: _kalon_—an idealistic perfect beauty in physical and moral sense), it was a continual serene.

Then, there's masterbation: it's an exposing and miserably naked feeling, the orgasm quick and fleeting before one realizes just how undesirable it is to be him/her at that revealing period. And as much as you want to proscribe yourself, you're still nauseated and nonplussed in a sexually-frustrated capsule. The ignominious whirl of disgust caged in your shaking abdomen—God, it doesn't want to budge. How do you get rid of yourself?

_Oh, if only that was possible._

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><p>A knock at the door pulls Naruto away from his self-pitying trance. "Hey, it's me." A male voice had called out from the other side. Naruto had never in his life felt so fortunate to hear that very identifiable, infuriating tone in voice in his sixteen years of existence. As much as Naruto both loathed himself at this point and felt the need to cringe at the sound of the eccentric howl, he would much rather settle for this than for his problematic beauty to appear and cause him 'masculine' troubles once more.<p>

Or, perhaps, he really _did_ want otherwise.

"I'm coming," Naruto shouted (a poor choice in words) from inside as he exited out from the glass shower door and onto the warm, fluffed rug beneath his heels. Every end of his body immediately began to drip before he grabbed the towel conveniently atop of the covered toilet seat. Hinata must have considered him beforehand; the thought alone made him grin like a fool. He quickly dried and patted down his bare legs before slipping back into his black briefs and fitting, darker blue jeans. It took a quick jump, shimmy, and rough tug to fully insert himself into the denim fabric—all it needed was a pull at the zipper and loop of a button. With his torso bare, he bent down, reached for his white V-Neck tee, and left his longer shirt folded.

When fully clothed and a hand holding onto his plaid button-up stacked on top of the damp towel, the free one unlocked the door and opened it. Kiba greeted with an amused smirk—he could **smell** it. "Relieved?"

"Fuck you," Naruto huffed after closing the door behind him and hurriedly jogging towards the stairs.

Kiba shook his head and silently followed him, the smell of breakfast stronger and stronger with each stair-step. It wasn't long before carpet became wood and tan feet shuffled further into the room. Full plates and utensils occupied the dining table, the back of a blue head setting down a second glass of milk. Then, the brunette chuckled: she made the pancakes.

"Oh, great timing!" Hinata voiced, now pulling the seats for the guests, "Sit! Sit!"

Naruto sat first with caution before pulling his seat into the table, very curious as to why his food was that of a heart-shaped flat cake. The square of butter atop the first layer had melted down the sides of all three, intersecting the saucer of syrup at the very bottom. With the vibrant blue abstractly dotted reminding Naruto of the cook's azure pigmented locks, it had drawn him more interested to the sweeter dish. It overall painted a pretty culinary picture, really.

His eyes scanned over to Kiba's eyes stared back at Naruto, a crooked, meaty grin greeting him along with buttered-toast ears. _'A smiley face?'_ He pondered. The large difference in dish made Naruto a tad hopeful; why a heart? Was there any significance or was she trying to signal something and if that was the case, what exactly was it? It also dawned on him that if he broke into his breakfast, he would technically be 'breaking Hinata's heart'. This alone made him wary and unable to scoop his pointed utensils. _'But this is also the first meal she's ever made me,' _a whined thought argued and, after processing _everything_, he couldn't help but think he may have been over thinking the matter; they were just fucking pancakes.

After small table talk, Naruto's fork dove in for a hesitant bite before he realized that Kiba demolished his food and Hinata was nose first in British literature. The female noticed and gave the boy a brief synopsis of the novel: a middle-aged man contends with a past he never much thought about. It's awfully dark and damaged, she says, and makes one reconsider a variety of things he/she may have thought he'd or she'd understood all along. It was granted the 2011 Man Booker Prize, an achievement foreign to Uzumaki. She informed him about the dialect in differ to American English and the added u's and how panties were referred to as knickers until all these various of things made Naruto question his own intellect but it didn't matter because Hinata looked so beautiful talking about what she was all knowledgeable of—that was the beauty of a quaintrelle.

It was enchanting to watch people talking about their passions. To experience the feeling of getting lost in someone's words and to watch their eyes light up with luster and a darling sophistication, Naruto was graced with the fortunate encounter. It was stunning, the way Hinata tucked a fallen strand of hair behind her ear and set the closed book on the table, her face brighter that the naturally lit room and sparkling chandelier. "I'm sorry, this must be so boring to listen to."

"Oh, no. It's no trouble. It just so happens that I adore the whole Adorkable Quirky Bookworm thing." Naruto chortled, loving how Hinata's blushing cheeks rouged red and her scarlet smile hid in between sips of tea.

"You two should get a room. Estrogen and Nicholas Spark-y 'mones are corrupting my inner man. I don't even think a man-fart will recover him from his weakened state."

"Dude, Kiba. Gross."

"What? _Fart? _What do you want me to say, 'an emission of gas from my anus'? Is that more intelligent sounding for you?" Kiba issued, his face feigning hurt, "And you have no room to talk, Mr. Milk Man! Should I inform Hinata and you little confr—"

The screech of Naruto's moving chair interrupted the Gossiping Queen. His plate clacked under Kiba's which clacked under Hinata's before he sauntered over to the kitchen and announced he was doing them. Kiba snorted and Hinata whimpered, chirping an "I'll help!" before pushing her own seat in and excusing herself in front of the Inuzuka. This left the third party to whistle to a morning tune, satisfied with his misfit up-rank, and turn towards the living room to fold his abandoned blankets.

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><p>"When do you have to go into work again?" Naruto finally asked after throwing a soaped plate into the dish washer. The tension was high due to Naruto's past conundrum (he still unaware that <em>she<em> was aware) and Hinata's overall selcouth, winsome personality. Suds ran up their forearms and the occasional brush of fingers under the soapy waters filling the sink made the two undeniably bashful. Rather than the dirty dishes, Naruto focused more on the way Hinata's ponytail swung to her body movements, the lacy apron bowed around her slim waist unconditionally cute and long forgotten, and how her lips hummed a precious melody, but stopped when she decided answer his query.

"Perhaps an hour," Hinata estimated, ridding the frying pan of any larger particles, "Why? Would you like to come?"

Naruto heard the hope in her voice and felt a little enlightened. It was an invitation; a date, maybe? No, this was her workplace. "I'd be honored."

"Good, because I have a _tinsy_ favor."

The squishing of air between the madam's wet fingers caught Naruto off-guard. The last spoon was thrown into the wash before Naruto had questioned her remark, "And that is?"

"Well, you see," Hinata started, her index fingers fiddling with one another (Naruto, no matter how many times he had seen this, had found it oddly charming every time), "Because I forgot my car at Nii—I mean, Neji's when I took Marie here, I don't have anything to go to work with. I was hoping that either you or Kiba could drop me off? I'm sure I can have someone drop off my car by tonight, so it's completely fine if you can't. I can call a taxi or take a bus—"

Naruto chuckled at Hinata's dilemma, loving how she was already referring to Kiba's convertible with her given nickname, and dried off his hands. "Hinata, it's okay. We owe you; it would be our pleasure. I'll have Kiba drop us off at my place and we can take my car to Sweet Serendipity. I'll pick you up. What time do you get off?"

"Oh, you don't ha—"

"What was that? You want me to pick you up at _Oh, You Don't Have To _o'clock?"

"Five. I get off at five." Hinata sighed between giggles.

Naruto smiled. "Good, just before I can take you out for dinner."

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><p><strong>FAQ<strong>

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><p><strong><strong>DINNERDATEWHOO—<br>****idontknowwhatimdoingso.

**What did Hinata have for breakfast?  
><strong>Simply British literature and hot tea #chopchopcheerio

**How long are each chapter supposed to be?  
><strong>I always try to do a minimum of 2,000 words in each chapter, but it varies sometimes. The sixth was nearly 6K and I'm sure this is no longer than fifteen hundred. . . /bricks

**So, I'm confused. What's going on between Naruto and Hinata?  
><strong>I feel that this question may arise frequently and I want to address this. Naruto's at the point where he's moving on from Sakura and looking towards Hinata. He's still dense and oblivious to his feelings at this moment, but he knows he's attracted. Hinata on the otherhand adores him. She doesn't want to push anything and feels fortunate as it is, but she had fallen for him long ago. It's simply attraction at the moment, nothing serious (not saying it won't be (; ) but they are both very much into each other. Things will be advancing, darlings.

**What book are you referring to?  
><strong>The Sense of an Ending — Julian Barnes

**Why hasn't Neji or her father contacted her?  
><strong>You're ahead of the game. :)

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><p><em>I apologize if this chapter was frankly terrible. Suggestions are so, so helpful. I wrote this around 1AM and—ASDFGHJKL; I'm trying not to make excuses, I swear. <em>


	7. Frozen Yogurt and Girl Talks

**SYNOPSIS****_—_**

Naruto Uzumaki's fleeting, unrequited romance leaves him depressed and deprived. After talking over his conundrums with Kiba Inuzuka, a trusted companion, it's decided that the two attend a party the Hyuuga's are hosting. Uzumaki encounters Hyuuga, a woman harder to read than most, but beauty admired by all.

**DISCLAIMER****_—  
><em>**Though I do dearly wish, I do _not_ own NARUTO.

**CHAPTER NOTE****_—_**

Double update! I'm just messing around in this chapter. X'D

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><p><em><strong>"I do not fear death.<strong>_

_**What I fear is never finding a kind of love that will make me cheat death to keep it„**_

—Michael Xavier

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><p><strong>I Quote, "I Love You"<br>Chapter 8**

"Thanks, Kiba. I'll text you later." Naruto promised and swore to the tall, moderate apartment complex that soared four stories above them. He peered through from outside the tinted car window to speak to his male companion, his body slouched and right arm heavy atop the black Mercedes.

Hinata, on the other hand, stood quietly beside the frivolous Arian. Her clasped hands rested over the nonexistent pouch of her abdomen with pale irises fixated on the white lace of her flats (this corresponded nicely with the yellow-lace hem of her Sretsis shorts). It occurred to her that dinner hasn't been brought up since the moment Naruto had first mentioned it and, frankly, that was all Hinata found herself frantic over. 'It must've been a joke,' she would keep assuring herself, despite not finding it one bit humorous. She wanted it to be as true as Disney romanticizing fairytales or the essential greatness of Gatsby.

But. . .she was too scared to find out the truth.

And it's sad because in the end, humans are all just hearts and clocks. Finding love, then losing it and waiting between. When love goes bad, grows auspicious, or tends insecurity, they heal their hearts by winding clocks (or viewing analog, digital; technology advances). Forgetting a fraction of an entirety because we all know nothing fully disappears. Humans are fragile creatures that cannot see they are their own undoing. Instead, they hide their hesitant hearts and curse the clocks, and then they blame the timing. They will always blame the timing.

Pale eyes gaze up as she curses herself for drawing her attention to the ground; old habits die hard. White grins are present and bellowed laughs are heard and Hinata, watching rather happily, was pleasantly astonished by the chemistry. It was intriguing because the two fought, _so much_. Then, in the long run, the fights and bickering never affected even an ounce of their relationship. Maybe that's what was so fascinating about male friendships; Hinata didn't exactly understand. For her, friends in general were complicated to gain.

A foot on the gas petal interrupted her thoughts. "Yeah, just call me whenever we can get together," said Kiba, the car inching backward before he hissed at Naruto for, quote, 'contaminating his Marie'. He then slammed on his brakes. "Shit! I just remembered I had to take Akamaru in for a check-up. I'll catch you two later. Matter of fact, give Hinata my number—"

"Not planning on it."

"—okay, geez. _I'll_ give Hinata my number some other time so we can all hang out again?" Kiba commented out of sensitivity before reeling Naruto in through the driver's side window, "What's with the Green Monster? I'm not too sure if you've noticed or anything, but you've grown a liking to Hinata. What about Sakura, remember her?"

"Who?"

A wholehearted, Grinch-like smile reaching from ear to ear stuck to Kiba's delighted face, "Never mind." He mumbled before aggressively pushing Naruto out of his car before screaming _'Hallelujah!_' to salute his dazzling exit.

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><p>It was ten till eleven when Hinata sat calmly in the passenger seat of Naruto's in contrast to him zooming into his apartment after forgetting his wallet. Hinata wasn't fortunate enough to enter the complex due to snappy scheduling, but was more than satisfied with the unexpected smell of the vehicle and the little things scattered that made the car Naruto's<em>. <em>Like the tree-shaped essence that hung from the rear-view mirror scented something of Black Ice which smelled absolutely nothing what it sounded like, but it was pleasant. _So_ pleasant. This, however, did not compare to the empty ramen cup filled with nothing but a pair of cheap, splintery chopsticks in an actual cup holder. Comical? Oh, no; that was a complete understatement.

With one last strong inhale, Hinata sunk herself into the darker leather seat and sighing a dreamy sigh before immediately sitting back up and straightening her back to the sight of Naruto scurrying out of his apartment and tripping down the stairs to the lot. It was hilarious to say the least. There was something euphoric to Hinata about the way his unruly blonde hair left a blurred trail of marigold from his sprint. How it flew back, dancing feverishly with the impacting wind—lovely, yes. Adorable? Oh, absolutely.

It wasn't long before Sonic Uzumaki was seconds in front of the car and rattling his keys in front of the window for Hinata to see. This resulted in a giggle and the outstretch of her lithe arm as she reached to unlock his door (locking it again in the first place was a mystery to her), saving Naruto the fumble for the right one. "Someone's in a hurry."

Naruto crossed his eyes and blew loose yellow strands out of his face before combing all of his hair back and starting the ignition, "It's 10:53, Hinata! We have seven minutes, missy. _Se–ven._" He enunciates, acting more fatherly than his liking. "And this is your job! I shouldn't be more upset than you apparently are!"

"Relax, _dad_. You see that shop right over there?" Hinata pointed right down the street, "That's Sweet Serendipity. I'm not even five minutes away; it's right next to Sakura Leaf and The Grape Vine."

"The place next to the pastry shop and fancy restaurant?" Naruto gawked obliviously with the raise of a brow and the 'o'ing of his mouth, ignorant to Hinata's gulping and palmy-sweat in reaction to his last two words, "_That's_ Sweet Serendipity? I always thought that was a lesbian bar."

"Shame!" Hinata joked, "I'll have you know that I've served and assisted many male customers in my day."

Naruto chuckled, already pulled out of the condominium and approaching a red traffic light. Timid glances came into effect during this momentary stop; once a pair flickered over, the other retreated—the cycle repeated several times after. From left and right cars came flying past them, the smell of rubber over tar distinct. But Black Ice, Hinata would note, Black Ice was a very well memorable scent. And if time had stopped, she couldn't say that she wouldn't be pleased. She was in Naruto's shoes this time, feet still and jobless. Her eyes didn't necessarily have to pay attention to the road (this case exempt because she had to instruct directions) and her life was practically in his hands. Her heart remained on her sleeve, of course.

Lights eventually changed from red to green and within another straight-away and curb, Hinata made it to Sweet Serendipity by 10:55AM. She along with Naruto entered her workplace, her entrance rewarded by a series of greetings from her co-workers. Sai, one of the fellow members of Hinata's staff, tossed an apron in her direction and she grabbed it in a routine way, immediately chirping a 'thank you' to the dark-haired male in gratitude.

"Have you ever had a Fro-yo, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked in between bowing the peach uniform and adjusting her flaccid name tag. "The first one's on me."

Naruto nodded energetically, a paper bowl as well as an identical waffle bowl inside almost immediately at hand. He skipped and jumped about like a child in a candy store. Stationed everywhere were a tremendous amount of favors ranging from Classic Vanilla to Hot Espresso to Wedding Cake. The crayon box colors and cute design of the store had an uplifting feeling—there were even couches and cushioned chairs lounged in the far left of the shop. "I swear, this is what would happen if Jack Frost, Willy Wonka, and Hello Kitty all had an orgy or if diabetic Care Bears exploded."

"Interesting insight. Well, you have fun," Hinata giggled after watching Naruto pull about seven different levers and filling his cup with a combination of Chocolate Hazelnut, Simply Strawberry, Cookies n' Creme, Caramel Cappuccino, and a variety of other things Hinata ended up not taking note of. "The toppings are around the corner and I'll be at the counter waiting."

After cramming his container to the utmost top and throwing a couple of gummy bears and M&M's in the mix, Naruto hustled over to the register and placed his cup on the scale. To this, Hinata sighed, a premonition of her empty wallet already flashing before her eyes. Naruto had noticed and immediately pouted, feeling rather guilty for not considering her in the midst of his exploration. Without thinking, he latched on to the petal-pink spoon and scooped up a big chunk of the dessert, "Hinata, open wide!"

"Huh?" A saddened Hinata responded, a Frogurt-filled shovel then suddenly shoved into her naturally gape mouth. Her eyes widened and cheeks flush at the predicament as she unconsciously swallowed down the chilled taste of what seemed like a combination of chunky chocolate chips and savory coffee. In that moment—the slow pull of the plastic utensil, Naruto's stare accented by a smidgen of gentle amusement with his chin propped and elbow dug in the counter, and not to mention the base of his warmer thumb rubbing away what didn't make it into her mouth off of the corner of her cold lips—Hinata felt attractive and maybe even_ liked_. It was the look in his eyes that gazed so deeply in hers that made her feel exceptionally giddy, the sugar and the vitamin C in the sweets more than likely intensifying that emotion.

"Does it weigh any less?" Naruto honestly worried, his tongue licking the chocolatey remnants off his finger. Hinata blushes to this and shakes her head, making the guilty Naruto feel more guilty and unaccomplished.

In the background, other customers awed at the scene and several workers, most females, stopped their activities to either admire the blonde or gossip about Hinata's handsome new 'boy'. Neji was the last, but to their surprise, this one seemed to have no obvious relation with her.

"Was he a boyfriend perhaps?"

"Hinata? Boyfriend? I forbid this! She's too shy to change in the locker room let alone_ date_."

"But, they're so cute!"

The girls continued to gossip and giggle as they watched Naruto give Hinata's head a soft pat and make his way to one of the taller window seats. Once they confirmed that he was no longer in ear shot, the three shuffled over to their beautiful co-worker and latched themselves onto her with pure curiosity. To start, the longer haired blonde, Ino, bombarded her with questions. "Hinata! Who was _that_? Don't tell me that's Naruto Uzumaki. GIRL! Are you two together? If so, you've got to hook me up with Sasuke-kun! Oh, my God. This is so exciting; Naruto is _bae._ Did you see the way he looked at you?" Ino grabbed Hinata by the shoulders and vigorously shook, "DID YOU SEE THE WAY HE LOOKED AT YOU?! My baby is growing up!"

Temari, the more reasonable blonde, swooped Hinata from underneath Ino's nose and snuggled the younger one with all her might. "Oh, disregard that babbling Queen, Hinata-dear. You don't need any boys yet. Boys are weird, remember?" Her arms encircled tighter as her face dove down to rub cheeks, "All you need is Onee-san. I'll take care of you. You don't need to be corrupted by those perverted spawns of Satan!"

"Does 'sister complex' come to mind, anyone?" Ten-Ten, the last of the three, grumbled before stealing Hinata away. "Do you like that guy, Hinata? He looks a little fishy. What about Sai? I know he's a man of little words, but he seems into you. I know he's a good guy. And I swear, if that boy hurts you in any way, I will get out the butterfly knives and hold them directly under his nutsa—"

"_T-Ten-Ten!_" Hinata finally laughed, her face burning so red and embarrassment clearly evident. "He's just a friend. A friend I've totally fallen for and can't stop thinking about even right as we speak, but nonetheless, a friend. I don't think he sees me anything more than that, but..."

"But what!?" The girls practically screamed, drawing attention from even the bypassers outside and the one boy they would least want to be heard from.

Hinata drew the girls into a circle formation, "I thinkheaskedmeoutfordinnertonight," she mustered quickly in an almost inaudible whisper. Despite that, it was loud and clear to the fangirl and overprotective 'sisters'.

"OH, MY GOD, HINATA!" Ino screeched at the top of her lungs. "You go, Tiger! I can't believe this! I knew you had it in you. What time are you leaving? Where are the two of you going? Can I plan the wedding? Hinata Uzumaki; that is so perfect, yes! Shit, guys. He's walking over here. I repeat, the bear is heading towards the cave! Act natural, everyone!"

Everyone huddled out and straightened their aprons, professional smiles plastered on their faces. Hinata on the other hand couldn't stop messing with her hair and simply pulled the hair-tie out of frustration. Naruto eventually appeared before them after throwing his trash away, his face expressing wonder in reaction to the abnormal amount of sweat trickling down Hinata's temples. "The froyo was really good, Hinata. Um, Sasuke and Gaara just texted me and wanted to meet up at one of the shopping Plazas, so I'll be back at five. Miss me?" he cutely pleaded.

Hinata giggled. "Trust me, I will."

The girls shoved their little one's shoulder and quietly mocked her in the back. Oblivious to the jokes, Naruto pulled out his phone and waved it in front of her, "I'll text you in the meantime. I have your number, don't I?"

"I don't think so?"

"It would be nice if I did." Naruto flirted.

Temari 'barfed' in the background.

Finding his little trick cute, Hinata verbally told Naruto the digits while he typed them into his phone. The two talked, Naruto whispering "And don't forget what I mentioned earlier this morning" before he had to leave and of course _after_, Ino, Ten-Ten, and Temari again latched themselves onto Hinata like blood-sucking leeches. She playfully sighed at the three before hugging them back, giving the passing Sai a look of desperate need for help. And, through all of this, the thought of dinner was still whirling around in her head but instead of being frantic, she was greatly anticipating.

Hinata simply couldn't wait anymore.

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><p><strong>FAQ<strong>

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><p><strong>Why is the story going so slow?<br>**I promise that the pace will start picking up after this chapter (I'm lazy)

**Where is Naruto taking her?  
><strong>It's a secret, people!

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><p><em>Just reached over 2,000 views and I'm overjoyed! (I'm an unpopular author, don't judge me) I'm just so happy that people are starting to warm up to me and it's all so fun being here. I'm trying to add more scenes and characters to make the story more interesting, but...you know... *sitting here hysterically laughing at my own failure* Thank you to those that make me stick around. *huggles everyone*<em>


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